LONDON, May 6, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - Thomas Tuchel hopes Chelsea's sale will be
completed quickly after the Blues boss was told Todd Boehly's consortium have
been chosen as the preferred bidder.
Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich put the Premier League club on the
market in March, just days before he was sanctioned by the British government
following the invasion of Ukraine.
After a lengthy bidding process involving several groups, Los Angeles Dodgers
co-owner Boehly and his fellow investors were picked by Raine Group, the New
York bank overseeing Chelsea's sale.
Boehly's bid is expected to be put forward to the Premier League to undergo
owners and directors tests, with the government required to grant the
eventual sale by issuing a new licence.
Abramovich this week denied reports he is asking for a œ1.5 billion ($1.9
billion) loan to be repaid for the sale to go through.
But, with Chelsea currently operating under the special license, which
imposes several restrictions including a ban on signing new players and
renewing contracts, there were fears over the future of the club if a sale
wasn't completed before the end of May.
However, Tuchel is confident the deal will be wrapped up in time for Chelsea
to plan for next season.
"I've been told last week that we have a preferred bidder and things are
going forward," Tuchel told reporters on Friday.
"It's a pretty important week for the club, but I was fully focused on the
pitch. But after what I heard last week, I'm confident.
"Clearance is always the best, because when the situation is clear you can
take actions, make judgements, take actions.
"Otherwise you're in a passive role, and this is what we are right now."
After initially embarking on a long winning run following Abramovich's
decision to sell the club, Chelsea have struggled to find their best form
recently.
They suffered a painful Champions League quarter-final defeat at Real Madrid
after nearly pulling off an epic comeback from a 3-1 first leg deficit.
Chelsea's place in the Premier League's top four is also far from guaranteed.
The Blues sit in third place, five points clear of fifth placed Tottenham
with four games left in the race to qualify for next season's Champions
League.
Tuchel conceded the speculation over Chelsea's future was hard for his
players to completely block out.
"We tried to make it the smallest issue possible, but of course it is always
there," he said ahead of Saturday's home game against Wolves.
"We prefer to have it in a clear and forward-thinking situation.
"This is what we're hoping for, we know what we deal with, this is what the
circumstances are in improving the team, and that we can act, rather than
react, or even worse, do nothing."