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BILLIONAIRE Ken Griffin has pledged to maintain Chelsea’s trophy-winning obsession if his consortium wins the battle for Stamford Bridge.American hedge fund tycoon Griffin, 53, is worth a stunning £21billion — three times as much as Roman Abramovich.
Griffin has told Chelsea fans he will ‘continue winning tradition’ at ChelseaCredit: Getty
Dan Gilbert, whose Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA championship in 2016, is part of the Griffin’s consortiumCredit: Getty
Griffin has now joined forces with Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and the Ricketts family in their quest to land the Blues.
Deal brokers The Raine Group have extended the deadline for second bids to Thursday, in the expectation the final price for the club will exceed £3bn.
And Griffin has told Chelsea supporters he plans to do everything in his power to keep the Blues at the top of the tree if his group is successful.
Griffin said: “I am thrilled to come together with my long-time friends and partners, the Ricketts Family and Dan Gilbert, who have built legendary championship teams.
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CHELSEA.css-1gojmfd{margin-bottom:16px;}.css-gmec1d{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;height:auto;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-align-content:center;-ms-flex-line-pack:center;align-content:center;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:flex-start;justify-content:flex-start;margin-left:calc(-20px/2);margin-right:calc(-20px/2);}.css-fh9577{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-left:calc(20px/2);margin-right:calc(20px/2);}.css-65fvqt{max-width:302px;max-height:294px;}.css-1exhbll{box-sizing:border-box;overflow:hidden;background-color:rgba(237,245,242,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;position:relative;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;max-width:302px;max-height:294px;}.css-bk55po{box-sizing:border-box;display:block;position:relative;margin-bottom:0;}.css-1shocxe{box-sizing:border-box;}.css-1a2irou{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;}.css-1a2irou 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Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-i1acvs:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}LUK OFF? .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}PSG in talks over transfer for Chelsea flop Lukaku as striker’s agent seeks move
“All of us love to compete and even more we love to win.
“Our group will work closely together to put the most competitive team on the pitch every year.
“If selected, we will validate the trust placed in us to continue Chelsea’s winning tradition while delivering a terrific game day experience for the fans.”
Griffin, Gilbert and the Ricketts family – owners of the Chicago Cubs – are worth an estimated £40bn.
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That is evidence they have the financial resources to both fund the improvement of the Chelsea team and cover the estimated £2bn cost of knocking down and rebuilding the club’s home since 1905.
They are among the four shortlisted bidders alongside the consortiums involving Los Angeles Dodgers owner Todd Boehly, Boston Celtics and Atalanta co-owner Stephen Pagliuca, and the bid involving Crystal Palace’s Josh Harris and David Blitzer, former Liverpool chairman Sir Martin Broughton and Lord Seb Coe.
Despite Thursday’s bidding deadline, the potential buyers believe the process may be extended into the following week when a final decision is now likely to be made.
Even so, the actual takeover may not go through until the end of May, with the Premier League and Government needing to give approval to The Raine Group’s preferred bidder. More

CHELSEA have refused to allow on-loan Conor Gallagher to play in the FA Cup semi-final.The England star, 22, has been instrumental for the Eagles as they roared to Wembley.
Conor Gallagher looks set to miss out on playing in the FA Cup semi-finalCredit: Alamy
But they were knocked back by the Blues when they requested permission to be able to pick Gallagher for next week’s clash.
It is believed that although the loan deal forbids Gallagher from playing against his parent club, changes could have been made ahead of the tie.
The midfielder was not believed to be involved in the talks and hasn’t appealed to Chelsea to play.
In the past, the West Londoners have allowed on-loan stars to play against them.
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When Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori played for Derby County under Frank Lampard, they were given special dispensation for a fourth round Carabao Cup tie.
However, with the stakes much higher this time round Gallagher will miss the match.
It’s a huge blow for Palace and manager Patrick Vieira, who has managed to get the best out of the youngster.
Gallagher’s fine form also saw him called up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the friendlies against Switzerland and Ivory Coast, where he earned his first caps for his country.
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Speaking after Gallagher played a key role in Palace’s recent defeat of Arsenal, Vieira spelled out his star asset’s attributes.
Vieira said: “The energy that he brings to the team – it allows other players to follow him behind.
“The majority of the time he is the one who starts the pressing and puts on the pressure. That really forces the players behind to follow and to reduce the distances between the lines. He is a massive player.” More

SWEET-TOOTHED Thomas Tuchel needed lots of chocolate to make it through a video of Chelsea’s horror show against Real Madrid — and still felt sour.The Blues manager confessed he relied on confectionery while at home analysing Wednesday’s 3-1 defeat in the Champions League.
Thomas Tuchel ate lots of chocolate to calm down after Real Madrid thrashingCredit: AFP
But it did not prevent him from experiencing the same anger he felt immediately after the game.
And he was still just as enraged on a third watch on Thursday morning at the training ground, where he later had a very stern meeting with his players.
The German said: “I watched the match again and I got angry at home in the middle of the night.
“And the next morning I watched it again and got angry again.
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“The amount of chocolate I needed was immense to go through the match again and compensate!
“You sit there in the middle of the night, it is not nice.
“You start writing and writing and you realise that you are writing more and more, more minutes with a certain way of explaining things so that you don’t forget.
“At some point you press the button to watch it in double-speed so it passes quicker, and then you know you’re not in a good place.
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“At some point you have to stop and take a walk into the kitchen or the lounge to calm down.
“It was not nice to watch. I got some sleep — it is not the first bad match we have analysed.
“But it helps to watch it, even if you don’t like it.”
Karim Benzema’s hat-trick at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday followed last weekend’s 4-1 humiliation to Brentford. Shipping seven goals at home in the space of five days led to Tuchel telling some home truths to his squad on Thursday afternoon.
The German described that gathering as “not a discussion meeting, it was more I gave my point of view. This is sometimes necessary”.
As frustrated as Tuchel may be with the alarming slump since the international break, this is not the first time this Blues squad have had a meltdown.
In fact, the reason the ex-Paris Saint-Germain chief was appointed in the first place was because Chelsea’s form fell off a cliff under Frank Lampard over the festive period of 2020.
Tuchel feels that bad habit is one of the reasons they are trailing Manchester City and Liverpool.
Chelsea’s stars are suffering a crisis in confidenceCredit: Getty
He explained: “This is the gap I’m talking about and what we need to close.
“It is tough because you compare yourself with maybe the best two teams that ever played in the  Premier League in terms of their  consistency.
“When you compare yourself, you can get frustrated — and maybe feel less strong than you actually are.
“But on the other side, there is something to close. It seems it does not happen to these two teams like it can happen to us.
“The first point is to admit it. The second point is not to get frustrated about it and work on it with a daily process and take your lessons out of it.”
Tuchel’s difficult week could get even tougher today with a tricky trip to Southampton, who will be without the ineligible Armando Broja, on loan from the Blues.
And Chelsea are only  five points clear  of fifth-placed Arsenal, so need to get back on the horse or risk their qualification for the Champions League.
Tuchel remains “absolutely confident” of sealing a top-four spot but warned that it is “never a given”.
Tuchel is well aware Chelsea need to get back to winning waysCredit: Getty
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And as for whether he is still writing off his side’s chances in the second leg against Real, having had time to cool off, the Chelsea boss remained brutally realistic.
He said: “Of course, anything is possible — but this task is almost impossible.” More