Roman Abramovich to break silence on Chelsea sale in new book

Former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will offer insight into the sale of the club in a new book set to be released this summer, following his first interview in four years.

Despite ongoing sanctions imposed by the UK government due to alleged ties with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Abramovich has participated in a two-part interview discussing the £2.5 billion sale of Chelsea in 2022.

The deal, which transferred ownership to the American consortium of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, was finalised after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The interviews, conducted in January 2023 in Abu Dhabi and in Istanbul a year earlier, are said to cover a range of topics, including Abramovich’s initial takeover of Chelsea FC in 2004, the sanctions, his involvement in previous peace efforts, and the suspected poisoning incident in March 2022.

Abramovich’s most recent interview prior to this was with Forbes in March 2021.

Aside from a brief statement in January 2021 regarding Frank Lampard’s sacking and Chelsea’s “Say No to Anti-Semitism” campaign, he had not granted a formal interview since 2006.

Titled Sanctioned: The Inside Story of the Sale of Chelsea FC, the book is written by Nick Purewall and will explore the 95-day sale process, which was overseen by Raine Bank under the supervision of the UK government. It will be published by Biteback Publishing this summer.

The funds from the sale are still held in a frozen bank account, while Chelsea’s new American ownership continues to aim for a Champions League spot and the club’s first trophy under their stewardship.