Billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who recently acquired a minority stake in Manchester United, has shed light on his interest in acquiring Chelsea while issuing a cautionary message to his new club.
Ratcliffe’s interest in purchasing Chelsea arose after Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale in 2022, but American Todd Boehly beat him to the punch with a £4.25 billion takeover in May 2022.
Ratcliffe finalized the acquisition of a minority share in Manchester United this week, valued at over $1.3 billion. He disclosed that Chelsea caught his attention due to the allure of owning a Premier League team and the prominence of the Premier League on the global football stage.
His long-standing interest in owning a Premier League club prompted him to explore the Chelsea option after the prospect of Manchester United being sold emerged.
Despite Chelsea’s significant spending under Boehly’s ownership, they currently sit in 10th place in the Premier League standings, raising questions about their transfer strategy.
When asked if Chelsea’s spending demonstrated what not to do, Ratcliffe refrained from singling out Chelsea but admitted to past mistakes in their other sports ventures.
He acknowledged errors made in acquiring other clubs, such as Lausanne and Nice, emphasizing the importance of learning from mistakes and avoiding repeating them.
Ratcliffe highlighted INEOS’s culture of accepting mistakes but emphasized the need to learn from them and not make the same errors twice.
Expressing gratitude for the lessons learned from previous blunders before acquiring Manchester United, Ratcliffe recognized the challenges inherent in owning such a large and high-profile football club.
Meanwhile, ahead of Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash with Real Madrid, the Chelsea flag was proudly displayed at Stamford Bridge.
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