Chelsea set to buy land surrounding Stamford Bridge
Chelsea will reportedly soon complete the purchase of a piece of land surrounding Stamford Bridge. The Evening Standard is claiming that the Blues are set to buy a 1.2-acre property called Sir Oswald Stoll Mansions. This area currently sits just west of the club’s arena.
Boehly and Chelsea execs can use land to expand Stamford Bridge
Chelsea owners have been discussing ways to improve their stadium situation ever since they purchased the team. Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali hope to soon have one of the best stadiums in all of Europe. It was reported in March that the club essentially has three options to deal with this desire. Chelsea could either renovate Stamford Bridge, tear it down and build a new stadium in its place, or move to another location.
The decision to buy land near Stamford Bridge would seemingly rule out the latter option. However, potentially renovating the arena or building a state-of-the-art stadium on the location are both still open. The aforementioned news outlet claims that the club will not make a final decision until later this year.
Club does not have full control over pitch
Chelsea owners still have to deal with shareholders that currently run the pitch at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea Pitch Owners own the field and have veto power against a possible move away from the area. The organization would need a 75% agreement among its shareholders for any move.
The Board of Trustees for Stoll have confirmed that they received multiple offers for the land, but ultimately accepted Chelsea’s deal. “The Board assessed many factors, and concluded that the Chelsea FC ownership group offered the strongest bid in terms of how it would support Stoll and our residents during the process, its financial offer which would secure the future sustainability of the organization, and its understanding of the charity and the importance of continuing to have a positive impact on veterans’ lives for generations to come,” stated the organization.
The agreement is, however, not exactly set in stone just yet. Chelsea is set to soon enter a nine-week consultation period with veterans charity Stoll. The Blues will then receive a final decision about the purchase of the property.
PHOTO: IMAGO / Paul Mariott