What does Roman Abramovich’s decision mean for Chelsea?

The burning question overall for most fans lies strictly with the squad and the implications new ownership has for the matchday experience. Let’s address some of these.

Coaching staff

Chelsea is an organization that has invested wisely within its business model and the fruits of that investment could not be more on display than they are with managers of the men’s and women’s teams. Thomas Tuchel and Emma Hayes are widely considered amongst the top five in the world in each of their respective positions.

Tuchel is coming off a campaign where he led the men’s team to success in the UEFA Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup. This isn’t even mentioning his runs into the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals over the last 14 months. Hayes is fresh off back-to-back FAWSL titles and an appearance in a UEFA Women’s Champions League final, as well.

These are no easy feats, but perhaps more impressive is the way Tuchel and Hayes approach their players and the media. These are respected figureheads that have helped Chelsea endure an array of difficult circumstances, headlines and player personalities. Calculated leaders of this caliber are almost impossible to find and any investor worth their salt should prioritize the futures of Tuchel and Hayes in their strategic plan.

Cobham

This is where things get interesting. The Blues have a storied history of successfully developing talent through their prestigious academy. Players such as Tammy Abraham, Trevoh Chalobah, Andreas Christensen, Reece James, Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori (just to name a few) have all emerged from Cobham as productive, top-tier European talents. This success has helped develop a pipeline of talent that Chelsea’s first team can draw from. More than that, it has created a successful and consistent revenue stream for the Blues to fund more expensive moves for world class talent.

The academy will be one of the most important resources for investors to leverage in the immediate future. Whether they want to stock the pipeline with emerging youth players or sell current talent to recoup some of their investment, the future success of the club will be dictated by how investors assess the value of the academy in the long run.

From a strictly speculative position, I would assume that investors see the Blues’ academy as one of the few key differentiators within Chelsea’s business model. Generally speaking, maintaining the youth system will require minimal funds while maximizing potential revenue and/or talent development. It is a win-win and should remain fully intact as is, with the current coaching staff.