With the deadline for offers to acquire Chelsea Football Club approaching, it appears that Chelsea great John Terry is attempting a last-ditch bid to co-own the club with a new consortium.
John Terry and Chelsea
Terry and former women’s football player Claire Rafferty are leading a £250 million ($329 million) partnership dubbed True Blue in an attempt to buy a 10% share in the club, according to the sources.
According to the sources, they will not be able to buy Chelsea on their own and will have to work with another consortium, such as the Saudis or the Americans. Terry’s recent participation with NFTs appears to be the catalyst for this bid.
Others in the group include Chelsea enthusiast and prominent Tory party donor David Meller, who is joined by his son Jonathan. Fellow enthusiasts and founding members include Harley Kisberg, the creator of iTech Media, and Stanford Loudon, an investment banker.
Bidding in the Final Hour
Anyone who succeeds in their bid will have to placate the fans, particularly the Chelsea Supporters Trust, which, like other supporters, wants to see more fan representation at the club as the west Londoners prepare for a new era after Roman Abramovich’s departure.
It was disclosed that the new owners, not the government, will be responsible for awarding the supporters the so-called ‘golden share,’ with Boris Johnson and his colleagues planning to stay out of the takeover process.
With no purpose of clarifying on any new owner, apart from Nick Candy, to put the fans at the core of their game to build on Abramovich’s work, Terry and former Chelsea women’s player Claire Rafferty are intending to do something that will guarantee that, irrespective of the new ownership model, fans will play a big part in the major decision and the day-to-day running of certain processes within the club.
Read: Chelsea set March 18 as deadline for bids: What will the takeover process be like?
