‘The best owner in the world’: An analysis of Roman Abramovich’s tenure as Chelsea Football Club owner


‘The best owner in the world’: An analysis of Roman Abramovich’s tenure as Chelsea Football Club owner

Roman Abramovich

Roman Abramovich’s days as Chelsea owner are over as the club is being sold to a new ownership group, led by Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter, and Hansjoerg Wys. ‘The best owner in the world’ – Roman Abramovich spent more than £2billion, hired 15 managers, and won 21 trophies, including Premier League and Champions League, and has now decided to sell the club

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Rightly or wrongly, Abramovich has changed the face of the Premier League and the Russian has been the model billionaires around the globe have hoped to follow in their own moves into the sporting realm.

The Russian billionaire bought Chelsea in 2003 for £140 million. His arrival completely changed the fortunes of a struggling club in England and made them world-beaters.

A team that had last won the English top division title in 1955, bagged five more Premier League trophies, two Champions League, five FA Cups, three League Cups, and two Europa League titles in the last 19 years in the Roman Abramovich era.

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Abramovich flooded the Premier League club with the cash, spending more than £150million in his first season. Claudio Ranieri was given 13 new players, including the likes of Hernan Crespo, Adrian Mutu, Juan Sebastian Veron, and Joe Cole.

The results were evident in that first campaign as they finished second in the league – there’s no shame in being runners-up to Arsenal’s Invincibles – and reached the Champions League semi-finals. However, the fans got the first glimpse of a trademark during the Abramovich era, the first managerial sacking, as Ranieri was let go after that campaign.

Jose Mourinho was brought in and ushered in a dominant period of the club’s history. Back-to-back Premier League titles followed, the first of 19 trophies claimed during the Russian era in charge.

Multiple FA Cups and League Cups soon came, along with Champions League crowns under Roberto Di Matteo and Thomas Tuchel, Europa League gongs under Rafael Benitez, and Maurizio Sarri, with Chelsea completing the set by winning the Club World Cup last month. Blues fans have enjoyed the most successful period in the club’s history with more than £2billion spent on transfers.

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Chelsea’s Abramovich era in numbers

£2.1billion – Money spent on players

£1.16billion – Value of players sold

15 – Number of managers

1,449 – Premier League points

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21 – Trophies won since 2003

5 – Premier League titles

2 – Champions Leagues

5 – FA Cups

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3 – League Cups

2 – Europa Leagues

2 – Community Shields

1 – UEFA Super Cup

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1 – FIFA Club World Cup

How have Chelsea managers performed in the Roman Abramovich era?

14 managers worked at Chelsea during the Roman Abramovic era.

Here, we take a look at all the managers who have been in charge of Chelsea during the Abramovich era and how they performed.

Claudio Ranieri (2003-04)

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Matches: 59    Wins: 36    Win% : 61.01 

Trophies:  None

Jose Mourinho (2004-07, 2013-15)

Matches: 321  Wins: 204    Win% : 63.55 

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Trophies: 8 (3 Premier League, 1 FA Cup, 3 League Cup, 1 Community Shield)

Avram Grant (2007-08)

Matches: 54 Wins: 36    Win% : 67 

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Trophies: None

Luis Felipe Scolari (2008-09)

Matches: 36 Wins: 20    Win% : 56 

Trophies: None

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Guus Hiddink (2009, 2015-16)

Matches: 49 Wins: 26    Win% : 53.06 

Trophies: 1 (FA Cup)

Carlo Ancelotti (2009-11)

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Matches: 109 Wins: 67    Win%: 61 

Trophies: 3 (1 Premier League, 1 FA Cup, 1 Community Shield)

Andre Villas-Boas (2011-12)

Matches: 40 Wins: 19    Win%: 48 

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Trophies: None

Roberto Di Mateo (2012)

Matches: 42 Wins: 24    Win%: 57 

Trophies: 2 (1 FA Cup, 1 Champions League)

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Rafael Benitez (2012-13)

Matches: 48 Wins: 28    Win%: 58 

Trophies: 1 (1 Europa League)

Steve Holland (2015)

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Matches: 1 Wins: 1    Win%: 100 

Trophies: None

Antonio Conte (2016-18)

Matches:106  Wins:69     Win%: 65 

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Trophies: 2 (1 Premier League, 1 FA Cup)

Maurizio Sarri  (2018-19)

Matches: 63 Wins: 39    Win%: 62 

Trophies: 1 (1 Europa League)

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Frank Lampard  (2019-2021)

Matches: 84 Wins: 44    Win% : 52 

Trophies: None

Thomas Tuchel    (2021-present)

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Matches: 73 Wins: 45    Win% : 62 

Trophies: 3 (1 Champions League, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 Club World Cup)

Chelsea Women’s team under Roman Abramovich

In 2019, when Chelsea was arguably one of the best-placed clubs in world football to help promote the women’s game, they traveled to Israel for a pre-season friendly with the country’s national team in the city of Petah Tikva. A trip that included visits to Jerusalem’s historic sights was topped off with a surprise visit from Roman Abramovich

“Roman showed his passion for the team,” Hayes later recalled, “and the women’s game in general.”

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In the last decade, they have spent more on transfer fees than any other women’s club in the country, the signing of Pernille Harder from Wolfsburg in September 2020 for a fee in excess of £250,000 breaking the world record for a female player.

That meeting in Israel, where Abramovich has citizenship, had not been a one-off. He also attended the 2021 Champions League final in Gothenburg, when he had not been to a men’s game at Stamford Bridge in three years due to problems renewing his UK visa.

After watching Chelsea be thrashed 4-0 by Barcelona in Sweden, he went into the dressing room to console the players, who vowed to put it right by reaching future European finals. There were happier times too, the 55-year-old personally congratulating Hayes after a fourth WSL title in five years in 2021.

Titles won by Chelsea Women’s team under Roman Abramovich

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Super League x 4 (2015, 2017-18, 2019-20, 2020-21)

FA Cup x 3 (2014-15, 2017-18, 2020-21)

League Cup x 2 (2019-20, 2020-21)

Community Shield x 1 (2020)

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Chelsea Youth team under Roman Abramovich’s reign

Thomas Tuchel handed debuts to youngsters Xavier Simons, Harvey Vale, and Jude Soonsup-Bell in the quarter-final win at Brentford in the Carabao Cup.

That means Chelsea has fielded 50 graduates of their Cobham academy since Roman Abramovich took ownership of the club back in 2003.

This trio will be hoping to carve out a successful Stamford Bridge career, following in the footsteps of Mason Mount, Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Andreas Christensen in treading the path to the first team.

Achievements under Roman Abramovich’s tenure

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U18 Premier League x 2 (2016-17, 2017-18)

FA Youth Cup x 5 (2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18)

U18 Premier League Cup x 1 (2017-18)

Conclusion

Roman Abramovich
Roman Abramovich

Love him or hate him, Roman Abramovich has been one of the most influential people in the football world for the last two decades. His association with Chelsea opened doors for other investment tycoons like Saudi Arabi, China, and Qatar in clubs like Manchester City and PSG, etc.

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Unlike other owners, Roman Abramovich showed that he bought Chelsea not only as an investment opportunity but for his passion for Football and Chelsea Football Club. He will always be remembered as the one who bought success to Chelsea Football Club to prosper it into one of the biggest clubs in the world.

Also Read: A consortium led by Todd Boehly is set to take over Chelsea’s ownership at $4.9 billion