Chelsea FC Owner Roman Abramovich To Purchase Real Mallorca
Per Flickr User: retolstorcal https://flic.kr/p/7SwjWF
Roman Abramovich, the 47-year-old billionaire owner of Chelsea FC is working to secure a controlling 55% stake in Spanish Segunda Division side Real Mallorca, according to reports from El Mundo (Spanish language version here) in Spain.
The club will play in Spain’s second division again next year, following a successful battle with relegation this past season. The club has bounced between the top two divisions for most of it’s existence.
Following bankruptcy proceedings in 2010 the Balearic club has struggled on and off the pitch, but maintained their spot in La Liga until the end of the 2012/2013 campaign, when they were finally relegated. This past year they finished just outside the drop zone, avoiding a free fall into the lower levels of Spanish football.
If the reports are true, Abramovich’s money could help solve the clubs financial problems and catapult them back into La Liga, where his connection with the team could prove beneficial to Chelsea as well. The club could create a relationship between London and Mallorca that is similar to the relationship between Chelsea and Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem**, or Cobham East as some call it in reference to the staggering numbers of players Chelsea loan the Eredivise club.
Should that be the case, Chelsea would have an excellent system for developing young talent that either are not ready for English football or cannot secure a UK work visa for various reasons. A season or two at Vitesse followed by a year at Mallorca in La Liga could make the transition to the Premier League a bit smoother for some young players, not to mention offer increasingly difficult levels of competition at minimal cost to Chelsea FC.
Real Mallorca Facts:
Full Club Name: Real Club Deportivo Mallorca, S.A.D
City: Palma, (Mallorca)
Nickname: Los Bermellones (the Vermilions)
Founded: 1916
Ground: Iberostar Stadium (Seats 23,142)
Best La Liga Finish: 3rd, (1998-99, 2000-01)
Copa del Rey Winners: 2002-03
**For an excellent article on the Chelsea FC-Vitesse Arnhem relationship, read this article from We Ain’t Got No History.
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