Clear message sent to potential new Chelsea owners after OFFICIAL statement released
Gary Neville has issued a warning to the Ricketts family after Chelsea fans protested against them owning the club.
Chelsea have been in the headlines constantly over the past few weeks as many fans are now wondering what will happen to the club, who will take over from Roman Abramovic, and will there still be players arriving on a regular basis
That has been as many as 20 billionaires, and one trillionaire backed group, who have submitted offers to the Chelsea board, but it seems that the Ricketts family are now leading the chase to get a deal done
However, fans protested against the Americans taking over the club, and now Neville has sent a start warning to the potential new owners of the Blues: “I have to say, if I was the Ricketts family and I was getting that type of hostility on the way in… move away, move away. The fans are important. If you’re the government.
“I don’t know if it’s the government who are in charge of the bid, or Bruce Buck, or the organisation appointed by Roman Abramovich – but I would say that we have to make sure that the biggest clubs in the country.
“We’ve seen here with the Glazer family, Mike Ashley at Newcastle, it drains the life. Not just out of the club, but out of the city and everyone watching. That cannot happen at football clubs.
“It’s not just about best bids, it’s about what the fans want. The Ricketts family are trying to reach out to Chelsea fans, but they do have some historic issues that need dealing with and explaining. At this moment in time, they are not being explained very well.
“In this current light, with what’s happened with the Super League, Big Picture, Derby, Bury, what’s happened with all of these issues with Roman Abramovich and the links to Putin [something Abramovich has always denied], we have to start bringing back some sort of moral compass in determining who owns a football club.”
The Ricketts family are trying to win over fans with their consortium bid by insisting they would never entertain the idea of Chelsea joining a European Super League.
In a statement, they said: “We will never participate in a European Super League and always protect the integrity and heritage of Chelsea F.C.
“We will commit the resources necessary across all levels of the club to continue winning trophies, including investing in the first team, experienced football leadership and the academy.”
Their takeover bid has been met with anger by Chelsea supporters, who protested yesterday at Stamford Bridge.