Chelsea potential ownership insight: Sir Martin Broughton’s consortium
Lord Sebastian Coe
An incredibly interesting member of the group is conservative government member Lord Sebastian Coe. Perhaps the most appealing thing about Coe—other than the fact that he is a lifelong Chelsea supporter and thus, would have the emotional interest that a pure business person would not—is his success as an athlete in his own league.
Coe has won multiple gold medals as a track and field athlete, so he knows what it takes to succeed at the top level. Thus, it would be hard to imagine any of the current group of Chelsea players being allowed to continue with the lack of discipline that some of them have been accused of in recent years and that has at times been part of the clubs historic downfall for periods under Abramovich. A player like Diego Costa could never show up out of shape with a member of the ownership group being aged 66 and resembling a man roughly 20 years younger.
Another benefit that people won’t want to acknowledge, but that will be necessary as the Blues intend to move into the future as they try to build a new stadium, is that Coe is a member of the government. Having some friends in the government when seeking to have permits and other legalities lean in the club’s favor is something that will benefit the club immensely.
Josh Harris and Daniel Blitzer
Another pair of experienced sports managerial minds involved in Broughton’s bids are American billionaires Josh Harris and Daniel Blitzer. The two Americans have aggressively increased their sports holdings in recent years and are even currently part owners of Crystal Palace, as well as several other sides throughout European football. In addition to those footballing businesses, they are the owners of the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) and the New Jersey Devils (NHL). They are invested in the ownership and management of several stadiums in the United States and they have turned them into profitable venues as concert and event spaces. Similar to almost everyone in their realm, the pair is invested in venture capital businesses.