Chelsea’s new stadium plans do not look like moving anywhere for a while yet, and even the direction we will go in doesn’t look like it will be decided yet for some time either.
Of course, there are many complications with both ideas, with a move to Earls Court always looking like the most likely outcome if they can get around all the legalities involved with it.
The other option is to stay where we are and rebuild on the Stamford Bridge site.
The other thing is that once we have finally made a decision and got it all signed off with the relevant authorities and/or land owners, then it is going to take years for the build to actually happen and then even more years for it to be completed. Time for patience I guess.
CityAM report that Chelsea fans may need to wait until 2042 before they can move from Stamford Bridge to a new home, co-owner Todd Boehly warned on Tuesday.
The club have fallen behind London rivals including Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham in swapping old stadia for new arenas, or vastly upgrading existing infrastructure.
But with a move to Earls Court touted, and a neo-gothic rebuild of the Bridge now seemingly shelved, Boehly has revealed that he and his co-owners put a 15-20-year timeframe on the stadium project when they purchased Chelsea.
Boehly said at the Milken Institute Global Conference that “everything is good and stable” at the club while discussions “about the future of the stadium and the future plans” will take place at the conclusion of the season.
He told Bloomberg: “It’s years [until plans come to fruition] in the making. When we originally bought the club we agreed initially that we had 15 or 20 years to figure this out but it is a big project in a really interesting city like London where there’s a lot of constituencies that have an opinion.
“Obviously the number one constituency for us is our fan base and what’s going to be the best for Chelsea.
“I think everyone recognises that a club as big as Chelsea should have a stadium that reflects the size of the club and ultimately that’s going to be a strategic advantage.”
Well, I guess at least we might hear more on the direction we will go in at the end of the season at least after these chats.
I think part of the problem again is that the Chelsea board all seem to have different ideals here and what they want to do, hence pulling in opposite directions once again.
Let’s hope for a conclusive summer and an agreement to be reached in the direction we want to go in.
