Thomas Tuchel is confident Chelsea's next owner – or ownership group – will expect the club to continue operating at the highest level and competing for trophies.
New York-based merchant bank Raine closed the bidding for Chelsea at 9pm this evening and will evaluate the offers received before creating a shortlist. It is understood that could include as little as three bidders in order to ensure a swift sale and remove the financial pressures on the Blues following Roman Abramovich being sanctioned by the UK Government as part of its response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
A consortium headed by Todd Boehly, the LA Dodgers part-owner, is one of the favourites to buy Chelsea and Chicago Cubs owners, the Ricketts family, have also stated their intent. Meanwhile, Sir Martin Broughton, a Chelsea fan and former Liverpool chairman, was fronting an expected bid and Saudi Media Company, Aethel Partners, Hana Financial Group and many more have registered interest.
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It's been reported by The Telegraph that bidders for Chelsea must be able to provide legal guarantees of their funds in order to be taken seriously while also giving as much information as possible over their future plans and ambitions for the reigning world and European champions, who could be sold for around £3billion.
And it's the vast sum required to purchase Chelsea from Roman Abramovich that has given Tuchel confidence the club's next owner will want to maintain the success – the Blues have won every honour possible during the Russian's 19 years as owner at Stamford Bridge.
"It is a huge amount of money," the Blues' head coach said at his pre-match press conference. "That’s why I am also confident because I think if somebody buys a club for this kind of money then it’s about challenging at the highest kind of level, then it’s about trophies, then it’s about winning and it’s about being the best you can. It's not about developing a project, it's not about making money with the club."
The past three weeks have been something of a rollercoaster for Chelsea that started with Abramovich announcing his intention to hand the "care and stewardship" of the club to the trustees of its foundation. That plan quickly fell apart and the Russian soon confirmed his intention to sell the Blues amid the backdrop of Russia's invasion.
Abramovich was then sanctioned by the UK government and this week the EU followed suit. Through it all, however, Chelsea have continued to pick up results and progress through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and Champions League under the guidance of Tuchel.
Yet the Chelsea head coach insists he hasn't needed to dramatically alter his day-to-day approach at Cobham amid the constant uncertainty. "The responsibility and the attitude come with what you sign up for," Tuchel said today. "If you sign up for Chelsea, you sign up for winning and you sign up for being competitive. This is what you have to deal with.
"Nobody could imagine we have to deal with these political circumstances in Europe, and nobody knew we would have a change of ownership as a consequence. But from the talks I had [with the club before taking charge], it was just an instant feeling that it was a very good fit and that it was very, very clear what Chelsea demands of you.
"So, as you know, we talked about it. It was an 18-month contract. For some minutes, I had the feeling that are they not trusting me, but then I turned it around. I looked at it and said, 'it’s ok, I have to earn my trust'. It's always like this and it will be with the new owner and was with the last owner. It will never change, no matter if you have a long-term contract or short-term contract."
