Nick Candy can push Chelsea a step closer towards pioneering a revolution in the Premier League that follows in the footsteps of the Bundesliga.
The British property tycoon, who has registered interest in buying the west London side as part of a consortium offer, has pledged to give fans a seat on the club's board if his bid is successful, a Candy spokesperson told Sky News.
The 49-year-old's vouch to give Blues fans a voice and a say in how the club operates could trigger a knock-on-effect that encourages other club's in world football to follow suit.
Despite whether or not Candy is the right candidate to take the reins off Roman Abramovich, he has raised fans' expectations of what Chelsea's next owner should bring to the table - and rightfully so.
By setting a virtuous precedent for the 20 credible parties that are interested in buying the Blues, the act of giving fans a seat at the table could become a requirement rather than just leverage.
In doing so, Chelsea can strive towards introducing a '50+1' club ownership rule in English football, as seen in Germany.
The German Football League introduced the 50+1 rule in 1999 to protect clubs from reckless private investors who wouldn't have the fans' interest at heart, prioritising profit over supporters' wishes.
DFL's ruling has ensured that commercial investors have no more than a 49 per cent stake in a club; a lack of said rule in England has seen numerous owners pull the carpet from beneath the feet of clubs.
The 50+1 rule has allowed German football to sensibly manage debts and wages while also maintaining their notoriously low ticket prices compared to the rest of Europe.
Chelsea, who reportedly have a £1.5bn debt, must follow Bayern Munich's model as a template for years to come.
Despite the Bundesliga champions being tied to financial 'restraints', Bayern has continued to assert themselves as one of Europe's leading sides in the last 20 years.
Chelsea have already taken a step towards following the German side's blueprint by putting Petr Cech - the technical director - forward for comment to shoulder the media coverage from Thomas Tuchel.
Borussia Dortmund's CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke referenced how lucky the Blues have been to have an owner like Abramovich when explaining the importance of a 50+1 rule when speaking to the German outlet Sport Bild.
"The German spectator traditionally has close ties with his club, and if he gets the feeling that he's no longer regarded as a fan but instead as a customer, we'll have a problem," said Watzke in 2016.
"The 50+1 rule does significantly more good than harm in Germany. Most clubs won't get a Roman Abramovich, who in the first place wants to see Chelsea winning.
"Most of the investors want to earn money. And where do they get it from? The spectators."
Candy shouldn't have to vouch to give fans a voice as part of his bid to buy Chelsea, it should be a given, and other suitors should follow his lead.
Follow our Carefree Chelsea writer Jake Stokes on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below. Make sure you have subscribed to CareFree Chelsea on YouTube! The Fan Brands team, along with plenty of your football.london favourites, will be producing daily Chelsea content for you to enjoy, including match reactions, podcasts, football fun and interviews.
