From the top of the world to who-knows-where? The post-Roman Abramovich era began with defeat for Chelsea at Wembley, which starkly contrasted the scenes of jubilation in Abu Dhabi just two weeks earlier when the Russian owner completed his full set of trophies with triumph in the Club World Cup.
That feels like a bygone time now. When thoughts were of Chelsea’s route back to the summit of English football, mega financial backing of Thomas Tuchel and a breaking of Manchester City’s Premier League dominance.
The question now is: What next for Chelsea after Abramovich’s decision to take a step back? Not even the billionaire, who has had all the answers since his 2003 takeover, can respond to that with any certainty.
Nor can he be sure his move to distance himself and “protect” the club will even have the desired effect. He does not know if calls for him to be sanctioned amid attempts to hit the financial assets of Russian oligarchs will be enacted.
And his dramatic announcement on Saturday evening brought home just how closely a football club in west London is linked to that developing crisis. It points to Abramovich’s own concerns about how he will be impacted and an acknowledgement of the reputational damage his association with Chelsea could cause.
That is a significant development. It is Abramovich’s money that has taken Chelsea to the position of reigning European and world champions.
And if they were to break Pep Guardiola’s dominance of English football next season, it was always going to be heavily-reliant on another summer of spectacular spending. As of this morning, he was still free to invest in the club – and there is no suggestion he will be calling in his £1.5billion of loans to Chelsea.
Meanwhile, the power of his will in terms of the club’s future plans is demonstrated by the fact the trustees taking on its running are not expected to entertain any bids from would-be buyers. This is still Abramovich’s baby.
No timescale has been put on the stewardship of the Trustees of Chelsea’s charitable Foundation. There is no indication this is a permanent move. It was a decision, sources say, motivated by a desire to protect the club’s reputation amid the crisis in Ukraine.
But Abramovich will be inextricably linked with the club for as long as he remains the owner. And the criticism received from MP Chris Bryant and prominent football figures Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher suggests his move has done anything but take the heat off Chelsea.
Nor has it offered any clarity over the future, both immediate or long-term. If he is sanctioned, what then? If Bryant’s call for him to no longer be allowed to own a football club in Britain is enacted upon, what would that actually look like?
The Labour MP remains unconvinced by Abramovich’s actions. He has called on him to explicitly condemn Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and will continue to apply the pressure.
Even the question of the stewardship is now a source of doubt, with the trustees meeting yesterday in a bid to ascertain what their actual role would be. This coming a day after Abramovich announced a transfer of power.
For now, Chelsea sources insist it is largely business, which is precisely what will fuel further calls for their owner to be targeted. Football decisions will go through Marina Granovskaia, who, while she has ultimately answered to Abramovich, was already overseeing transfer strategy and managerial appointments.
Decisions made by trustees are said to be significant in terms of the running of the club, but when the issue of ownership has already effectively been taken out of their hands, questions will be raised about how much control has actually been ceded.
Chelsea fans will hope little changes. That an unprecedented period of success is allowed to continue. In that sense, yesterday’s Carabao Cup Final defeat offered a source of optimism, as well as concern.
They can be encouraged by a performance that suggested Tuchel’s side are not as far away from Liverpool as the league table suggests. This is the fourth time the German has faced his compatriot Jurgen Klopp since taking charge at Stamford Bridge and he is yet to lose over 90 minutes.
It was a thrilling and fiercely contested final that Chelsea should have won had Mason Mount taken one of two clear cut chances with only the goalkeeper to beat. It was as impressive as the European champions have looked since before their title challenge unravelled over Christmas and New Year. Yet, ultimately, they had to watch as Liverpool celebrated into the night.
It is Klopp’s side who remain in the running for an unprecedented quadruple. It is Liverpool who will take the fight to City in the race for the title.
Those two teams remain the benchmark in English football. Without Abramovich, can Chelsea have any hope of catching them?
