It the summer of 2005 when Chelsea were in the transfer market to strengthen their squad in a bid to defend their 2004/05 Premier League title won by new manager Jose Mourinho.
Chelsea had signed Ivory Coast international Didier Drogba from Marseille in the previous summer and the African striker justified the 24 million Pounds the Blues paid to hire him in 2004.
Chelsea were back in France for another quality footballer and Lyon midfielder Michael Essien became the lastest high profile footballer to be signed by Abramovich’s Chelsea.
This Essien transfer was not easy for Chelsea.
However on 14 August 2005, Lyon and Chelsea agreed a £24.4 million fee for Essien, ending one of the longest-running transfer sagas.
At the time, the fee made Essien Chelsea’s most expensive signing of all-time, surpassing the £24 million Chelsea paid for Didier Drogba the previous summer. The transfer went through on 19 August.
The Ghanaian went on to play 256 games for Chelsea winning nine trophies in total including the 2012 UEFA Champions League and two Premier League honors.
Roman Abramovich statement in full on the sale of Chelsea :
I would like to address the speculation in media over the past few days in relation to my ownership of Chelsea FC. As I have stated before, I have always taken decisions with the club’s best interest at heart. In the current situation, I have therefore taken the decision to sell the club, as I believe this is in the best interest of the club, the fans, the employees, as well as the club’s sponsors and partners.
The sale of the club will not be fast-tracked but will follow due process. I will not be asking for any loans to be repaid. This has never been about business nor money for me, but about pure passion for the game and club. Moreover, I have instructed my team to set up a charitable foundation where all net proceeds from the sale will be donated. The foundation will be for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine. This includes providing critical funds towards the urgent and immediate needs of victims, as well as supporting the long-term work of recovery.
Please know that this has been an incredibly difficult decision to make, and it pains me to part with the club in this manner. However, I do believe this is in the best interest of the club.
I hope that I will be able to visit Stamford Bridge one last time to say goodbye to all of you in person. It has been a privilege of a lifetime to be part of Chelsea FC and I am proud of all our joint achievements. Chelsea Football Club and its supporters will always be in my heart.
Thank you,
Roman
