Chelsea and Roman Abramovich release official statements on sale

Chelsea’s takeover saga has dragged on for nearly three months. The period under scrutiny has had its fair share of ups and downs as the United Kingdom’s government set a May 31 deadline for the sale to take place or the long-term future of the club would come into question. Thomas Tuchel and his team were able to successfully navigate the season despite the sanctions. Now, the community is ready to move on from events that have taken place over the last few months.

As the aforementioned deadline creeps up on the calendar, there has been a lot of speculation about whether or not the takeover would get over the line. Todd Boehly and his business partners have been in London over the last few weeks, even showing their faces at a few of the last matches of the season, which was a positive sign for all involved. Now, the Blues put fans at ease early Saturday morning as they released two important, official statements regarding the sale.

Chelsea and Roman Abramovich officially acknowledge pending sale of club

For all of those who expected the Champions League final to be the biggest event of the weekend, think again—that is, if you’re a Chelsea fan. The Blues officially made it known on Saturday that the pending sale to Boehly and Clearlake Capital would be completed in the coming days, ahead of the dreaded May 31 deadline. Monday will hopefully bring an end to this three-month long saga that has seen almost all of the club’s operations put on hold.

What exactly does this announcement mean for the future?

Hopefully, with an official statement from Boehly and Co., the sanctions will be completely lifted. This will allow Chelsea to return to business as usual. The megastore will open back up, employees will return to work, the full financial might of the club will be accessible and the Blues will be able to freely operate in the transfer market once again.

A huge summer lies ahead for the reigning Champions of Europe (I had to say it one more time as it’s still true for a few more hours). There is expected to be a full-fledged rebuild of Tuchel’s team as the club replaces departing centerbacks and revitalizes the midfield. The sanctions have been the only thing holding Marina Granovskaia back from opening up discussions with interested parties on all fronts. The transfer negotiation guru will hit the ground running next week and hopefully get a couple of signings in the door.

In addition to the statement released by the club, soon to be former owner Roman Abramovich addressed Chelsea fans via the team’s official website:

"“It has been nearly three months since I announced my intention to sell Chelsea FC. During this time, the team have worked hard to find the right custodian for Chelsea FC that would be best positioned to successfully lead the Club into its next chapter.The ownership of this Club comes with great responsibility. Since I came to Chelsea nearly twenty years ago, I have witnessed first-hand what this Club can achieve. My goal has been to ensure that the next owner has a mindset that will enable success for the Men’s and Women’s team, as well as the will and drive to continue developing other key aspects of the Club, such as the Academy and the vital work of Chelsea Foundation.I am pleased this search has now come to a successful conclusion. As I hand over Chelsea to its new custodians, I would like to wish them the best of success, both on and off the pitch. It has been an honour of a lifetime to be a part of this Club – I would like to thank all the Club’s past and current players, staff, and of course fans for these incredible years. I am proud that as a result of our joint successes, millions of people will now benefit from the new charitable foundation which is being established. This is the legacy which we have created together.Thank you, Roman”"

A new era will officially be ushered in on Monday when Boehly and his team become the new custodians of the club. It will mark the end of a memorable 19-year period where Abramovich transformed the landscape of European football as we know it. Words cannot describe how much he means to the Blues supporters after his investment has taken their beloved squad to the pinnacle of the sport.

Sit back, relax and enjoy the weekend, Chelsea fans. The end is upon us.