Chelsea’s takeover saga has now taken a new turn. The four-horse race is now down to the final three after the Ricketts family pulled out. The Raine group, who are overseeing the sale on behalf of Roman Abramovich finalized four bidders in order to select the winner. A lot of interested parties tabled their bids, but the list had to be whittled down to four. As a result, Sir Martin Broughton, Stephen Pagliuca, Todd Boehly, and Ricketts family’s bids were the chosen ones for the Chelsea takeover.
However, the Ricketts attracted a lot of controversy from the moment they announced their bid. It was reportedly due to the comments made by one of the family members in the past. The comments made in the email were quite controversial and reportedly filled with blasphemy for one particular community. Chelsea fans were quick to revisit the whole scene and fiercely protested against the Ricketts.
Chelsea fans began social media campaigns to express their disappointment with the selection of Ricketts. However, the matter further escalated when fans staged a massive protest ahead of Chelsea’s game against Brentford last week. The Ricketts have finally give-up their dream to takeover Chelsea following such unpleasant situations.
Ricketts makes it easy for others in the Chelsea takeover race
Just when Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel finished with his press conference ahead of the Crystal Palace game, the news dropped. As of yet, Tuchel is not involved in the takeover process, as he just admitted in the conference.
“To be honest, no. It is still a process. I heard talks are still ongoing with the government. I am still not involved, which I am glad about, I have to say, because we have a lot to focus on here,”
Tuchel said.
However, fast forward a few hours, Ricketts issued a statement withdrawing their bid. Just as they released one announcing their bid for the Chelsea takeover, the Ricketts this time came out with a retracting one. The official statement read,
“The Ricketts-Griffin-Gilbert group has decided, after careful consideration, not to submit a final bid for Chelsea FC. In the process of finalising the proposal, it became increasingly clear that certain issues could not be addressed given the unusual dynamics around the sales process. We have great admiration for Chelsea FC and its fans and we wish the new owners well.”
Though there’s disappointment in the Ricketts’ camp, remaining three bidders will now be more encouraged. Sir Martin Broughton, Todd Boehly, and Stephen Pagliuca will now solely compete for the Chelsea takeover. Moreover, the Chelsea fans would be rejoicing and be happy as well after Ricketts stepped down from the takeover race. A final round now remains in the process, as the Raine group want improved bids from the finalists. It now remains a tight race and a ticking process as to who of the three triumphs in the final run.
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