Chelsea right-back Reece James has delivered his thoughts on the imminent sale of the club with Todd Boehly's consortium set to takeover when Roman Abramovich's 19-year reign comes to an end. The American billionaire had his offer accepted earlier this month and final government approval is set to be given soon.
Boehly was in attendance at Stamford Bridge again on Saturday as Thomas Tuchel's side beat Watford 2-1. Kai Havertz and Ross Barkley scored the goals for the Blues as they finished the campaign in third place, giving Boehly and co. a Champions League spot to start their tenure.
According to Sky Sports News, the UK government are set to approve the takeover within the next 24 hours with concerns surrounding debts owed to Abramovich finally allayed. The Russian is under sanction from the government meaning no money from the deal can go to him but legal guarantees have now been given that not even a penny will go to him.
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The takeover process has been a long and dramatic one and it was inevitable its affects would eventually reach the first-team squad. Over the course of deals being negotiated and rumours circulating, Tuchel was knocked out of three competitions and confirmed the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. But James insists that while the process has been strange, it will be a case of business as usual moving forward.
"It’s been a strange moment for the club with the change of owners, it’s going to be different moving forward, but our ambition is still going to be the same," he said in an interview with the club's official website. "We are a massive club in the world, and our aim is still going to be to win every trophy we can. The players at this club are ambitious. You’re playing at this club for a reason. The quality is so high.
"No matter the owner, we are the ones who go out and perform on the pitch. Next season we are going to have many competitions to play and hopefully get some more trophies under our belt. We’ve got enough quality so there’s no reason why we can’t do it.
"'I spoke to him [Boehly] briefly. I know he's passionate about the club, his aim is to win. We're not just going to change to a club that's participating... everyone that plays at this club is ambitious."
