It has been a roller-coaster month for loyal Chelsea fans after long-time owner Roman Abramovich announced his intentions to sell the club at the end of February.
Since then the Russian has been sanctioned by both the United Kingdom and European Union, which has seen conditions placed on the running of Chelsea FC, with the club unable to negotiate contracts or transfers in particular. The U.K. government has relaxed some of the conditions, which has seen the club allowed to sell a certain amount of tickets for the away fixture against Real Madrid and the upcoming FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace at Wembley.
Still though, there remains an air of injustice amongst some of the Chelsea fan-base that they are seemingly being punished for events that are totally out of their control. Furthermore, supporters haven't exactly greeted the four remaining prospective owners with glee, in particular voicing concerns over the Ricketts family, who own MLB's Chicago Cubs in the United States and whose members have been somewhat outspoken in their views.
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With that being said, football.london wanted to find out the mood in the Blues fan-base, and what supporters expect from new owners when they take stewardship at Stamford Bridge. Out of the four remaining bids, it is clear from the survey results that the consortium led by LA Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly is the preferred choice, with 63% of votes going to them and Centricus the next closest choice on 14%.
Whomever assumes the seat at the head of the board table, Chelsea fans have given them two clear messages for first orders of business. The first of which is to secure the future of players who are hurtling towards the end of their contracts, and understandably so given the talent threatening to depart SW6 - with Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta key names in the last months of their deals.
When asked what should be the first, immediate priority, 65.5% of supporters chose 'Securing player contracts', with 'Investing in Stamford Bridge renovations' the next closest choice with 13.1% of the votes. A loud and clear message, but not anywhere near as unanimous as Blues' views on fan representation on the board.
After the debacle of the European Super League, perhaps combined with concerns as to how American owners operate their sports franchises, supporters are understandably adamant that there should be some form of fan representation on the Chelsea board under new ownership. In fact, 90.3% of voters were in favour, with just 9.7% being against.
The message to any new owner then is abundantly clear. After such sporting prosperity in the past 20 years under Roman Abramovich, trust will not be easily earned. Supporters' concerns may have been somewhat eased by a condition of any new ownership being a commitment to at least £1billion for both the playing squad and the crucial redevelopment of Stamford Bridge.
Maintaining the tremendous levels of investment was always going to be a concern, as Abramovich's finances and ruthless style have seen Chelsea transformed from a good cup team on the cusp of true glory, to one of Europe's elite. When quizzed, fans were certainly worried about the future of Thomas Tuchel, with rival clubs sure to be sniffing around the sought-after German tactician amid such uncertainty. Almost 81% of voters agreed there needs to be significant squad investment to match the ambition of a coach that has already achieved so much in such a short time in south west London.
Fingers will be crossed that Raine Group are able to make the right decision for the immediate and long-term future of Chelsea, so that the Blues remain at the upper echelons of Europe and continue to fight for Premier League titles. With the interest and sheer sums of money involved, it certainly won't be a decision that is taken lightly.
The shortlisted bidders have until April 11th to submit a final, concrete bid. Raine Group aim to present the preferred bid to the government a week later, at which point the club's operating license will be changed to allow the transfer of ownership to go through and for Chelsea to resume normal operations for a crucial stretch of the season - it is easy to forget the Blues are still fighting for two major trophies and on a superb run of form on the pitch.
This process was never going to be simple, but it does look as though a solution will be swift. Be sure to have your say in the comments below on what you want to happen next, who out of the four you prefer and your views on the future of CFC.
FULL SURVEY RESULTS
Out of the bidders left in the race for Chelsea ownership, who is your preference?
Boehly consortium 63%
Centricus 14%
Ricketts family 11.5%
Sir Martin Broughton consortium 11.5%
What should be the first priority for the next Chelsea owner(s)?
Securing player contracts 65.5%
Stamford Bridge renovations 13.1%
Summer transfer plans 11.8%
Engaging with CFC fans 9.6%
Should there be fan representation on the board?
Yes 90.3%
No 9.7%
Are you confident Chelsea will remain one of Europe's top clubs under new ownership?
Yes 87.7%
No 12.3%
Are you worried about being able to keep hold of Thomas Tuchel if owners don't match his ambition?
Yes, the squad needs investment 80.5%
No, the squad doesn't need big investment 19.5%
On a scale of 1-5 (1 not worried at all, 5 extremely worried), how worried are you about Chelsea going into an unknown new era?
3 (most common answer)
Does Roman Abramovich deserve to be honoured and recognised around Stamford Bridge?
Yes 90.4%
No 9.6%
Should there be a human rights element of the Premier League's fit and proper owner test?
Yes 86%
No 14%
