TokyoBlue

I guess the old "next 48 hours is crucial" is back then.

Seems he's been waiting in the wings this whole time. Had heard his name linked before but he seem to deny it.

From a money perspective, it's the corporate end they seem to be looking at. Both Arsenal and Spurs are able to make good money from this. Doesn't add much to the atmosphere though as is evident from the Emirates.

I came here to ask that same question.

So many former players come back and visit the club. For example, Gullit describes his time at Stamford Bridge as some of the most fun he had in the game and has fond memories. We must be doing something right.

Only one way this goes.

Great classic encounter with The European Champions vs the most successful club in European Football. Real got lucky tonight as we could have scored at least 2 more, and we should hold our heads high. It shows the standard we are at when you go to Real Madrid and disappointed we didn't score 5. My only real gripe is we lost our 100% record against beating Real in European competitions. Anyway, onwards to Wembley.

I'm expecting 0 - 2 to us to take it to extra time, followed by us winning a nervy penalty shootout.

Seems it's all pretty much been covered by previous posts. Some out of character mistakes which a world class player like Benzema will 9/10 times score from, and so we paid the price. However, as I am always the optimist, it's not impossible to see us getting 2 goals at the Bernabeu and taking this tie to extra time/penalties. After all, it's not the first time we've had the odds stacked against us in this competition.

The 8 point list would be easy for them to circumnavigate if they really wanted to. It's too vague for me and some of it is pretty obvious and surprised they even need to say it (Chelsea team colours will remain blue?). Another one, what's the timeline on the stadium work? They've said more than most on their plans, but then they probably felt they had to. All the bidders should declare their intentions in public, and how they intend to pay for them.

Easier said than done. Even Roman with all the goodwill in the world could not persuade the CPO to get enough votes. I agree with the CPO stance on this both then and now.

10% stake owned by the fans would be revolutionary for Premier League. Even more so for us with the CPO.

Putin and Roman's connection to him won't be forgotten, so I am pretty sure he's selling. However, things have moved fast over the past month, so if the sale takes another month, can never be sure where we'll land.

Can't help but think that Raine are "allowing more time" under Roman's direction to buy him a bit of time. Who knows where we will be with regards to sanctions etc in a month from now?

It's risky. If he made a mistake which resulted in us scoring he'll get accused of all sorts. He's young so best kept out of that kind of flak.

WERE bigger? maybe. Simple fact is, if you've not won the Champions League as a minimum, you don't get a seat at the "elite" table.

They're buying into an established globally recognised football institution. We are the current European and World Champions and the most successful club in London. It's ultra rare for a club to achieve all that, and even more rare to be available for sale. From a US commercial point of view, they will host the 2026 World Cup which will provide further opportunities as interest in the sport grows (MLS is already expanding). Don't forget we have their superstar Pulisic in our ranks as well. With regards to investing in another club, as we've seen with PSG, throwing billions at a football club does not guarantee success. With Chelsea, it's already at that point. One final point. Some of the bidders are fans. If I had the means, I would bid as well!

I disagree, and dismissing European success is ridiculous. Chelsea have won everything at the very top level of club football. We cannot got any higher and can only repeat the success. Arsenal on the other hand have only been window shopping when it comes to football outside of domestic competitions. They have a single UEFA trophy, and a string of failed attempts, bottling it in all but one of UEFA's various finals. While we have won it all, they have lost it all. You simply must win the Champions League to be considered in the elite group of football clubs.

EXTEND THE BID DEADLINE! Now we're a step closer to being able to fully sell tickets (not 100% if you read the small print), I think the valuations of the bids should be extended and bidders given a chance to revise their bids. Not only that, make the details of the bids public where it's possible. For example, bidders should make public their plans for the stadium, investment in the Women's team and the Youth Academy, and fan involvement (such as the 10% golden share idea). This can only be better in the long term for the club. We should not be forced to rush in. If the bidders are proper Chelsea, then none of the above should be a problem.

Based on what's public, I'd go for Boehly + the True Blues consortium 10% "Golden Share" in Chelsea with shares available for fans to buy.

Kind of mad that the current owners of Crystal Palace have put in a bid. Must have gone down well with the Palace fans.

Just getting started! We've a whole academy full of talent, plus now we have the winning mentality.

I'd be surprised if the government and FA don't allow tickets for the FA Cup Semi final. I believe that a large part of the revenue goes to the FA, so I'm sure they will miraculously work out a way to prevent their own cash flow getting hit.

Regarding the interest in the USA, let's not forget they'll be hosting the World Cup over there in just 4 years time. Could be some of the US bidders have that in mind and have a plan to push Chelsea amongst the hype the build up to that will generate.