Chelsea icon and former Blues manager Gianluca Vialli has admitted that he is 'proud' to support Nick Candy in his bid to complete a takeover of the club amid competition from the likes of Todd Boehly's consortium, The Ricketts Family and the Saudi Media group.
The news that Vialii has joined Candy in his attempts to form the Chelsea ownership group to succeed Roman Abramovich came at a much needed time for the billionaire, whose net worth is ranked at $2billion (£1.5million). Saudi Media, Boehly and most recently the Chicago Cubs owners amongst a few others had gained momentum in this ongoing saga, so for Candy and his new partner Vialli to be back in the race spices things up another notch as Raine's Friday deadline is fast approaching with interested parties having just over 24 hours to make official offers.
The Italian is joining forces with the Chelsea fan - who was in attendance at the weekend for the Newcastle win - with Tifosy Capital & Advisory (a company set up by Vialli and a group of financiers) now working with Candy ahead of Friday's deadline for offers to buy Chelsea. Vialli represented the Blues as a player between 1996 and 1999, with part of that as player/manager. The now 57-year-old Italian managed Chelsea from 1998 until 2000 before being replaced by fellow countryman Claudio Ranieri.
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Chelsea are currently looking for a new buyer following Roman Abramovich's decision to sell the club, just days before the Russian was added to the UK government's sanction list. Vialli was a very popular figure at Stamford Bridge during his playing days and he could now play a 'kingmaker' role in a possible takeover. A spokesperson for Candy's offer confirmed the appointment of Tifosy. The statement read: "The company is co-founded by former professional footballer and truly adored Chelsea player, Gianluca Vialli. Their work on the data and business analysis so far has been outstanding."
The man who helped guide the ship through rocky times in a managerial sense before Roman Abramovich came in three years later has announced himself that he feels 'proud' and 'privileged' to have this opportunity to potentially become the next 'custodians' of the club.
He said via Si & Dan Talk Chelsea: "I am proud and feel very privileged to support Mr Candy's bid to buy Chelsea Football Club. We share the same view that if the bid is successful, we will try to be the best possible custodians of the club."
