Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel wants clarity and a quick solution to Chelsea’s ownership uncertainty
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel calls for a quick resolution to club’s ownership uncertainty… just hours before the Ricketts family pulled out of the £3bn race to leave only three bidders
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Thomas Tuchel has called for clarity and a swift resolution to Chelsea’s ownership situation with just three bidders now left in the race.
Thursday marked the deadline for improved and final offers from the parties wanting to buy the club from Roman Abramovich.
Manager Tuchel spoke a few hours before the consortium led by the Ricketts family withdrew from the process.
Thomas Tuchel has called for clarity and a swift resolution to Chelsea’s ownership situation.
Asked if had received any updates on the bidding process, Tuchel said: ‘No, to be very honest, no. It’s still a process and I heard that talks are still ongoing with the government and I’m still not involved which I’m glad about I have to say as we have a lot to focus on here and that’s where our focus goes to.
‘We hope things will be sorted out as soon as possible to have clarity but I can understand that it’s not that easy.’
But Tuchel didn’t have to wait long for an update as Chicago Cubs owners, the Ricketts family, and their billionaire American backers, decided not to pursue their bid further.
Cubs owners Tom and Laura Ricketts had partnered with US billionaires Ken Griffin and Dan Gilbert on a cash-only bid to buy the Blues.
Final bids were due to be submitted to New York merchant bank the Raine Group on Thursday, but the Ricketts-led group has now withdrawn its candidacy.
The consortium led by the Ricketts family (pictured, Tom Ricketts) has withdrawn its bid to buy Chelsea
‘The Ricketts-Griffin-Gilbert group has decided, after careful consideration, not to submit a final bid for Chelsea FC,’ read a Ricketts family statement.
‘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 and its fans and we wish the new owners well.’
It leaves three parties interested in buying Chelsea as Steve Pagliuca and Larry Tanenbaum, Todd Boehly and Jonathan Goldstein, and Sir Martin Broughton and Lord Sebastian Coe.
The race to replace Roman Abramovich as Chelsea owner is hotting up ahead of the deadline
Meanwhile, Chelsea director Eugene Tenenbaum – viewed as Abramovich’s right-hand man – has now also been sanctioned by the UK government along with the outgoing Blues owner.
Tuchel said: ‘We read it yesterday [about Tenenbaum]. I saw it yesterday in the news and there was not much more about it also for us.
‘I don’t know the implications and what it means actually for the club right now. I was just with the team and the staff here yesterday and we heard it and right now I think it is not a further distraction, it is just one more of the same kind and we still hope things will calm down and be sorted out in the process with the government.’
On the pitch, Chelsea will look to make it three wins on the bounce when they take on Crystal Palace in the semi-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday.