Ricketts family have closest relationship to Raine Group

Originally posted on Chelsea News | Last updated 3/25/22

Most of the bids which are still in the mix as Chelsea’s potential new owners are pretty similar. Big American sports team owning consortiums with vast financial backing from hedge funds.

All these groups fulfil the needs that Raine Group, who are organising the sale, have: lots of money, and no geopolitical issues to gum up the works of a potential deal. Offers like the one from the Saud Media group seem to have fallen by the wayside because they could cause issues on a non-financial level.

So why has the bid from the Ricketts family advanced to the “preferred bidder” stage, despite being the only one that has generated a grass roots negativity campaign from Chelsea fans?

Of all the Chelsea bidders, the Ricketts family have the closest relationship to Raine. That presents an interesting/rare advantage given how Raine has more power than is typical over this process because the actual owner is in such a bind. Fun to see how all this unspools.

— tariq panja (@tariqpanja) March 25, 2022