Chelsea owner Todd Boehly commits to massive Stamford Bridge redevelopment, ending fears club could leave historic home
CHELSEA have committed to a massive redevelopment of Stamford Bridge — ending fears the club will relocate to a new stadium.
American owner Todd Boehly, who bought the Premier League outfit back in May for £4.25billion, has made promises to the stadium freeholder to expand the ground rather than move the club to a new location.
The shareholder group that owns the London club’s stadium freehold, Chelsea Pitch Owners, said: “The new owners have committed to redevelopment of the stadium.
“So it is anticipated the group’s workload will increase as this project begins to take shape.”
The club recently appointed a committee to consider new locations and had reconsidered a shock move to a 60,000-seater stadium in Earl’s Court.
A move to Earl’s Court, where the Exhibition Centre once stood, was previously explored under Roman Abramovich.
But plans were abandoned in 2010 when Hammersmith and Fulham Council squashed the idea.
Meanwhile, concerned Chelsea fans have snapped up shares in record numbers since Boehly’s acquisition because of fears over the club’s future.
Supporters have spent £175,000 snapping up shares since the club went up for sale in March.
That is compared to just £21,000 in 2021, before Abramovich was forced to sell owing to his links to Vladimir Putin.
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CPO revealed in accounts published this week: “After 19 years of uninterrupted ownership, the football club was sold to new owners during the year.
“Fan concerns over the future of the club led to an unprecedented demand for shares and record sales, which are unlikely to be repeated.
“An amount of uncertainty is to be expected with new owners coming in, although initial dealings with them have been very positive.”
