Roman Abramovich bids his farewell as Chelsea takeover nears confirmation

theguardian.com:

Chelsea have confirmed an agreement for the sale of the club to Todd Boehly. The deal is expected to be completed on Monday, with Roman Abramovich, the former owner, penning a farewell as he hands over custodianship.

On the club’s website, Abramovich wrote: “It has been nearly three months since I announced my intention to sell Chelsea FC. During this time, the team have worked hard to find the right custodian for Chelsea FC that would be best positioned to successfully lead the club into its next chapter.

“The ownership of this club comes with great responsibility. Since I came to Chelsea nearly 20 years ago, I have witnessed first-hand what this club can achieve. My goal has been to ensure that the next owner has a mindset that will enable success for the men’s and women’s team, as well as the will and drive to continue developing other key aspects of the club, such as the academy and the vital work of Chelsea Foundation.

“I am pleased this search has now come to a successful conclusion. As I hand over Chelsea to its new custodians, I would like to wish them the best of success, both on and off the pitch.”

The billionaire says it has been an “honour of a lifetime” to be involved with Chelsea. “I would like to thank all the club’s past and current players, staff, and of course fans for these incredible years,” he said. “I am proud that as a result of our joint successes, millions of people will now benefit from the new charitable foundation which is being established. This is the legacy which we have created together.”

Boehly, leader of a Clearlake Capital consortium, will buy the Premier League club for what will be a sports franchise record deal of £4.25