Boehly confident; Tanenbaum dreaming big; Hamilton, Williams bring star appeal to Chelsea bidding process

One week on from the final bidding deadline, we appear no wiser as to who will be selected the new owners of Chelsea Football Club. Maybe next week then?

Of course, one week is not a long time at all in such a complicated financial transaction, but it does feel like a very long time already given the club’s financial situation, restricted operation, and all the uncertainties about certain players, transfers, and various other future planning issues.

But, all we can do is wait and hope for the best outcome, which is what the three remaining consortiums are doing as well — mostly. The Boehly-Wyss group for example seem quite content in their position, and according to the sources that broke the news of their initial bid, remain “very confident” of emerging as the chosen ones. So confident in fact that Blick went to the trouble of Photoshopping a US-Swiss flag. Fancy!

Elsewhere, the “co-bidder” in Stephen Pagliuca’s group, Larry “Mr. Long Game” Tanenbaum gets a bit of hype from Canadian media for his involvement in the process, building him up as a “super-fan” who’s been “dreaming big” about sticking his dollars into those sweet, fertile Premier League investment grounds for a decade or so.

He’s never gonna stop never stopping, ya know.

And speaking of hype, we have Sir Lewis Hamilton talking up the opportunity to join in with Sir Martin Broughton’s bid, alongside fellow sports superstar Serena Williams. Their financial contributions barely scratch the surface of the multi-billion-dollar bid, but they certainly bring the eyeballs and the spotlight and an increased profile.

And yes, it would be pretty cool to have Lewis and Serena associated with Chelsea, in whatever capacity big or small.

“This isn’t my first investment but it’s something I’m excited about. [And] there’s lots of opportunity to get involved more and more over time, which is super exciting. Particularly of wanting to help with the success they’ve already had and to help them be even more successful.

“The part we’re very aligned in is D&I (diversity & inclusion) for example and what they’ve already done there. [...] They’ve been quite leading in D&I, becoming more diverse and progressive, so it’s not that we’re associating ourselves with previous owners. Our goal is continuing the work they’ve already done and having more of an impact and engage more with the community.”

-Sir Lewis Hamilton; source: Evening Standard