Chelsea have ruled out relocating to a new stadium in Earl’s Court and are set to commit to a £2bn expansion of Stamford Bridge as reports from the Daily Mail.
It is believed that club owner Todd Boehly will confirm the decision on the club’s stadium plans in the summer once the costs and timeframes are established.
The report also states that the Chelsea Supporters Trust held a meeting in the past week where it was confirmed that Earl’s Court was no longer a viable option for the Blues as the site’s owners aren’t planning to build a stadium on that land.
Development company rejects stadium idea
Moreover, the Earl Court Development Company (ECDC) also claimed that building a stadium isn’t a part of their plans.
The ECDC had earlier released a statement claiming, “We categorically deny any talks taking place with Chelsea FC about a stadium relocation to the Earls Court site. We have recently launched a draft master plan for a transformative mixed use scheme to bring the wonder back to Earls Court. Our masterplan proposals will deliver 4,500 homes, 15,000 jobs, acres of public space and cultural facilities in an ambitious zero carbon development. There is no football stadium in our masterplan.”
Chelsea looking for long term stadium solution
Director Hugh Rosen heads Chelsea’s project team was also in charge when former owner Roman Abramovich had made plans for a new stadium.
The renovation of Stamford Bridge has been a topic of debate for several years and it intensified when the club’s ownership changed hands last year. It is believed that the winning bid, once that came from Boehly, was to commit to remaining at Stamford Bridge which is a preference of the Chelsea pitch owners.
In other news, Chelsea are expected to lose another £30m to settle disputes with commercial partners, an issue the club put aside last season. It is believed that the Blues are due to pay the amount to a number of partners, including shirt and sleeve sponsors.
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