Roman Abramovich will reportedly remain as Chelsea's owner despite his dramatic decision to relinquish "stewardship and care" of the club, but the Russian's announcement has prompted a number of questions about what might happen in the longer term.
The 55-year-old made the announcement as he attracts attention amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with British MP Chris Bryant calling for Chelsea's long-time boss to be banned from owning the club.
Abramovich's statement has already attracted criticism, with Piers Morgan attacking his "weasel words" and Micah Richards saying "After the last couple of days and just say you’re handing it over to charity, I think it’s poor".
Now, Mirror Football takes a closer look at what the latest developments mean for the football club as they prepare to take on Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.
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While Abramovich will remain as Chelsea's owner, the latest development sees him step back from certain responsibilities at the club.
According to ESPN, he will no longer have the final say on "key decisions, including player transfers and the future of respective head coaches"
However, according to the same report, this is not seen as a precursor to Abramovich looking to sell the football club, with sources also rejecting suggestions the Russian is making the move in an effort to escape sanctions.
The Telegraph notes that any party interested in launching a takeover bid for Chelsea might not be required to negotiate directly with Abramovich, though Chelsea continue to maintain the club is not for sale despite reports in Bloomberg suggesting potential suitors are on "high alert" amid recent developments.
Certain responsibilities have been handed over to the Chelsea foundation, whose five trustees include club chairman Bruce Buck and Chelsea Women manager Emma Hayes.
As reported by The Telegraph, though the responsibilities of the trustees does not include transfer and contract decisions or any changes concerning the future of Blues manager Thomas Tuchel.
Those are understood to rest in the hands of director Marina Granovskaia and technical and performance advisor Petr Cech.
Granovskaia has been on Chelsea's board since 2013, while Cech - a Champions League winner with the club in 2012, took on his current role after ending his playing career with Arsenal in 2019.
The Telegraph suggests Abramovich's decision has been made with the intention of allowing Tuchel and his squad to continue their own day-to-day responsibilities without the war in Ukraine overshadowing what is going on in west London.
Chelsea are due to take on Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, with an FA Cup trip to Luton and a Champions League meeting with Lille both on the horizon.
There is no indication at this stage as to if and when Abramovich will return to his previous duties at Chelsea.
The Russian bought the London club in the summer of 2003, since when they have won several Premier League titles, multiple European trophies and - most recently - the Club World Cup.
"I have always taken decisions with the Club’s best interest at heart. I remain committed to these values. That is why I am today giving trustees of Chelsea’s charitable Foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea FC," Abramovich said in his statement.
"I believe that currently they are in the best position to look after the interests of the Club, players, staff, and fans."
