BATTERSEA POWER STATION:
The summer of 2012 was a pivotal time in Chelsea history. Champions of Europe. A club legend in charge. Eden Hazard coming in, followed later by César Azpilicueta, Oscar, and Victor Moses. Bid submitted for the Battersea Power Station site, future home of Chelsea's fantastic new stadium framed by the iconic smokestacks and possibly a few flying pig balloons.
When looking at Chelsea's trademarks, I stumbled upon the designs for the failed "Battersea Power Stadium" bid. Wow. pic.twitter.com/JvcOb2ZDFu
— Ben (@BenJoyceFoot) May 25, 2016
Alas.
Not three days after Hazard officially announced that he's signing for the Champions of Europe, word came down that Chelsea lost the bidding to Malaysian property developers. We probably never had a chance on such large, prime real estate.
Latest views over @NineElmsTeam, @BatterseaPwrStn , @USAinUK , #London @CNplus pic.twitter.com/vhuNfaDEwm
— Jason Hawkes (@jasonhawkesphot) March 24, 2017
In the five years since, those developers have been busy building apartments and offices in their £8 BILLION scheme, selling them for a few million apiece (the first phase sold 75% of available flats in four (4!) days) and booking tenants like Apple for their London headquarters. And while construction will be going for a bit longer, the first tenants have now moved in. Not too shabby.
First residents move into homes at iconic Battersea Power Station site https://t.co/lkVRHZd7Em
— Evening Standard (@standardnews) May 4, 2017
Of course, as unfortunate as it was to lose out on Battersea, which promised to provide the setting for a truly iconic new stadium, plans for a new stadium eventually came together anyway. There may be a bit of delay with regards to them, but when those plans are complete, we will still have a most unique, imposing, and modern structure — a cathedral of football! — and without leaving the only site the club's ever played at.
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FOOTBALL (all times BST):
19.00: PL2 D1, 11th vs. 5th: Derby County U23 vs. CHELSEA U23
20.00: Premier League, 15th vs. 2nd: West Ham United vs. Tottenham Hotspur
20.00: La Liga, 4th vs. 7th: Sevilla vs. Real Sociedad