Chelsea Stamford Bridge plans explained as brand new Todd Boehly stadium problem uncovered
All options regarding Chelsea's stadium plan remain on the table at this point, football.london understands.
The club are hoping to either perform a complete Stamford Bridge rebuild, a stand-by-stand redevelopment or moving to a completely new site. A report from The Guardian on Tuesday afternoon claimed Chelsea had held talks over leaving their current site and moving to Earl's Court.
However, according to the company that are currently managing a multi-billion pound project on the land, there is nothing concrete in the works just yet. A statement from the ECDC said: "There is no plan within our plans for Chelsea FC to relocate to the Earl's Court site.
"We have a fully detailed design, shortly to be registered with both local authorities, which prioritises the delivery of thousands of homes and jobs, culture and open space through a well-designed and considered masterplan which has evolved over four years of engagement.
"This will see development commence in 2026 with the first residents and occupiers moving in from 2030. This is, and will remain, our primary focus."
Sources have told football.london, though, not to rule it out as a future option for the club as they look to increase the capacity at Stamford Bridge, or build a new stadium elsewhere. Chris Jurasek and Jason Gannon were put in charge of the club's redevelopment plans earlier in the year, however, the former, Jurasek, has recently left Chelsea after 15 months with the west Londoners.
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football.london understands Gannon is still in charge of the redevelopment plans after he was promoted to the club's president and chief operating officer last week following the departure of Jurasek.
Many Chelsea supporters are desperate for the club to remain at Stamford Bridge although the stadium's close proximity to a tube line makes a stand-by-stand redevelopment very difficult. Last year, Chelsea dropped a big hint they could be staying put after purchasing the majority of a 1.2 acre site, close to Stamford Bridge, from the Stoll Foundation.
With the current goings-on behind the scenes, it will be difficult for the ownership to agree on the next stage in terms of the stadium development. There is a massive cultural divide between minority investor Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, led by frontman Behdad Eghbali.
There are reports claiming Boehly wants to buy out Clearlake's 62% share of the club. football.london understands, however, the American private equity firm that was co-founded by Eghbali and Jose E Feliciano, will not consider selling their shares in Chelsea.
There is plenty happening behind the scenes at Chelsea before we can even realistically start talking about what is next in terms of the stadium redevelopment. But those in charge of the stadium plans, the likes of Gannon, are carefully considering all of the options available to the club.