The world of soccer got rocked on Wednesday afternoon when Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich confirmed the rumors of his intention to sell the club. Abramovich, a Russian oligarch who purchased the club in 2003 and has been credited with investing the gobs of money that have turned them into one of Europe’s elite clubs, previously announced that he was stepping away and handing “the stewardship and care of Chelsea FC” to the trustees of its charitable foundation.
Much has been made of the timing of the announcement — Abramovich’s ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin are well-documented — but the fact of the matter is one of the most valuable teams in all of sports is now up for sale. There will assuredly be a bidding war to acquire the London-based side, and if New Orleans Pelicans forward and well-documented Chelsea supporter Larry Nance has his way, he’ll be able to acquire it with fellow Chelsea supporter Josh Hart.
Yo @joshhart how big of a loan you think we could get
https://t.co/sp3bP24suY
— Larry Nance Jr (@Larrydn22) March 2, 2022
Hart, meanwhile, is extremely into this idea.
Man I’m willing to sell my soul https://t.co/A4FXsll3hq
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) March 2, 2022
It goes without saying that, despite both guys being very well-compensated professional athletes, the bids to get Chelsea will almost certainly be a bit too high for them — Forbes estimated in 2021 that Chelsea is worth $3.2 billion, which is tied for the 25th most valuable team on earth with the Denver Broncos and the Boston Celtics. Having said that, LeBron James has an ownership stake in Liverpool, while a handful of NBA players hold ownership stakes in MLS clubs, so perhaps Hart and Nance can figure out a way to make something happen here.