Roman Abramovich officially took ownership of Chelsea on 1 July, 2003. 15 years later, the Blues look set to celebrate the owner with a spending spree.
Roman Abramovich has given more to Chelsea than any other individual in history. The Blues were not without history before him, nor were they on the verge of going under in the early 2000s. But Abramovich’s influence rebuilt the club into the global juggernaut that it is today.
And though the Russian does not have the same free spending, no excuses nature as before, he is still key to everything that Chelsea is and will be. He has been in command for 15 years as of 1 July, 2018 and the fans should always be grateful for his passion and commitment to the club, even if it has changed in ways that many disagree with.
To celebrate his 15th anniversary, Chelsea appears to be on the verge of a massive spending spree. Of course, the board waited most of the summer already and there is still no manager in place, but the pieces are about to fall where they need to be. And a late gift is better than no gift at all.
It will likely start with Maurizio Sarri putting pen to paper. After weeks of negotiations and waiting, Chelsea appears to finally be on the verge of signing the Italian. It will likely take time and patience, but he can bring the “Barca in Blue” style that Abramovich has supposedly wanted for the better part of the last decade.
Following that, the signings can begin. And the first one up is the young Aleksandr Golovin from Abramovich’s own Russia. Now, this understandably seems like more of an “Abramovich” signing than a general football one. But the young Russian is a solid, versatile player that can actually help Chelsea right now. The fact that he is from the same country as Abramovich is merely a bonus.
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Next, the club looks to turn its sights on to the keeper situation. Thibaut Courtois has kicked the new contract can down the road for too long, and the Blues must sell this summer or risk him going for free. To replace him, the Blues look set to make a big marquee purchase of Brazil and Roma’s Alisson Becker. This will please the owner because the Blues would make a statement signing while making big bucks on the side.
But wait, there is more! Daniele Rugani of Juventus is supposedly also close to signing and the Jean Michael Seri rumors remain hot. Furthermore, Chelsea has allegedly rejected a massive bid on Willian, hinting at a realistic swap (plus cash) deal between Manchester United and Chelsea for the services of Anthony Martial.
So a manger, a talented compatriot, a star goalkeeper, and potentially a new defender, midfielder, and winger. All combined, that would be a sizable splash to celebrate Abramovich’s Chelsea reign. It would hearken back to his early years while being sensible in the current climate of the market.
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Chelsea needs the reinforcements, but they also need to be smart about it. All of these signings would tick boxes while keeping Abramovich a happy man during a difficult time.