Reporter Han Bing reported that as the most representative investor in the Premier League in the 21st century, Abramovich was forced to sell the Chelsea club that had been investing for 19 years, which caused a sensation in the Premier League and even in world football. Abu, who has contributed a lot to the success of Chelsea and the Premier League in the 21st century, said goodbye in such a way. The Premier League, once considered a mecca for investment in the football industry, may lose this dazzling aura.
Abu valued Chelsea at £3 billion, while writing off the £1.5 billion he had injected into the club in the form of loans over 19 years. He had previously rejected two offers for £2.25 billion and £2.5 billion, respectively, but now the price may even be discounted in half, and it is possible to trade for £1.5-2 billion.
Usmanov, who once held a stake in Arsenal, was added to the first sanctions list, his assets in Britain were frozen, and luxury yachts maintained in Germany were confiscated. Usmanov previously named everton training base, spending 30 million pounds to get the naming rights of Everton's new stadium, but also did useless work.
Usmanov's plight made Abu realise that his assets in Britain could be in other situations at any time. Abu announced last weekend that Chelsea would be entrusted to the club foundation in order to avoid chelsea being frozen in their assets and unable to sell or invest. But the trustees of the foundation avoided it, and in the end, Abu had no choice but to sell.
The first to be exposed in the media was led by six or seven investors, led by the £4.3 billion Swiss billion billionaire Weiss. Weiss, 86, is a medical device manufacturing tycoon who currently resides in the United States. Weiss has never invested in sports, and North American Professional Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers owner Boley became his partner. The £4.7 billion U.S. billion U.S. billion billionaire Boley also holds a small stake in other clubs such as the Los Angeles Lakers, and had previously tried to buy Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, but failed. Another interested acquirer is Britain's richest man, Ratcliffe, who is worth £6 billion and already owns Swiss club Lausanne Sport and Ligue 1 in Nice.
Weiss is looking for more co-investors, and perhaps bargaining considerations, unable to get the acquisition completed as quickly as possible. Abu could be added to a new sanctions list at any time, and whether Chelsea are locked in an asset freeze or forcibly confiscated and auctioned, the giant will be plunged into an unprecedented crisis.
Abu's acquisition of Chelsea in 2003 is considered the beginning of a "golden age" of Investment in the Premier League. His huge investment not only allowed Chelsea to break the monopoly of Manchester United and Arsenal on the Premier League, but also directly contributed to the wave of investment in the Premier League from all over the world, creating the Premier League situation in which the top six are now competing. Chelsea, who had previously been second-rate in the Premier League, was the biggest beneficiary, not only successfully winning the European championship and entering the list of first-tier giants, but also becoming a classic case of football club acquisition in the era of globalization.
The previous openness of the Premier League investment market is the basis for the continuous influx of investment, brand value, broadcast fees, and commercial income. But now that foundation has been completely undermined by brutal and absurd interventions – foreign investors are aware that their hundreds of millions of pounds of investment could be wiped out at any time by falsely accused sanctions. Previously, Abramović, the Abu Dhabi chief and the Saudi royal family, which has just acquired Newcastle United, have invested heavily in the club at any cost, aiming at competitive performance and seeking fame and profit, which will be completely replaced by the profit-seeking investment model of American capital.
Abu's experience not only made the existing foreign investors in the Premier League feel dangerous, but also made Chelsea fans worry that the club would completely sink after being acquired by the United States. The Reds have not been involved in the Premier League title since Ferguson's retirement, but the American boss has been able to prioritize huge profits every season. Last summer, Arsenal fans also expressed strong opposition to U.S. major shareholder Kroenke.
Abu's love of football and Chelsea is higher than the pursuit of profits, and the Abu Dhabi and Saudi royals are more interested in reshaping the country's image than using clubs as tools for profit. The unification of the Premier League by US capital will make the Premier League lose its original competitiveness in the competitive field. The Investment Environment of the Premier League is dominated by such huge uncertainties, which directly hit the enthusiasm for investment, and the "golden age" of Investment in the Premier League may end completely.