The group have come into the conversation around the ownership in west London and are led by the former England captain
Chelsea legend John Terry and former women’s football star Claire Rafferty are fronting up a £250 million ($329m) consortium called True Blue in an attempt to buy a 10 percent stake in the club.
With Terry having delved into the world of NFTs recently, the bid promises a high tech approach, allowing supporters, players and former staff to buy fan tokens for upwards of £100 in exchange for voting rights.
However, they won’t be able to fund a full bid so must insert themselves into a wider deal involving UK, US or Saudi billionaires.
Who is behind True Blue?
Although the True Blue consortium is headed up by two high profile former footballers, there are several other people driving the bid.
In documents seen by GOAL, one figure behind it is Chelsea supporter and prominent Tory party donor David Meller, alongside his son Jonathan.
Harley Kisberg, founder of iTech Media, and Stanford Loudon, an investment banker, are also among fellow fans and founding members.
These connections have allowed them to speak with senior staff at the club before launching their bid.
Mellor, whose wealth comes from his luxury property and family beauty business, could attract some criticism to the group.
He was awarded a lucrative £164m PPE contract during the coronavirus pandemic after supporting Michael Gove’s MP’s leadership bid, with documents claiming he benefited from a controversial ‘VIP lane’ that allowed influential individuals an opportunity to circumvent the usual procurement process.
Furthermore, he was the chairman of the President’s Club, a high-class men-only charity event, which became embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal.
After the scandal, MPs subsequently lobbied for him to step down from a senior position in the Department for Education (DfE) after a report was released by the Financial Times.
Meller is also said to have previously worked with Chelsea in a charitable capacity.
The plans, which have been seen by GOAL, suggest they will offer tokens to Kai Havertz for scoring a Champions League-winning goal, and club captain Cesar Azpilicueta. It would effectively offer current players shares for their impact on the pitch.
Will fans support it?
The plans have already been presented to prominent fans ahead of the announcement, in an attempt to begin a charm offensive.
It comes after the Chelsea Supporters Trust (CST), the west Londoners’ most influential fan group, called for several measures including a ‘golden share’ to be issued.
That golden share would allow Blues fans veto power over matters relating to the club’s identity including the club badge, kit or stadium, or playing in a different league.
The last point is important after Chelsea were involved in the Super League project which was widely derided by the vast majority of the British public.
They went on to make six further requests but neither the UK Government nor Raine Group, who are conducting the sale, will enforce any such measures.
It remains on the negotiating parties to choose to bring in any fans through either the golden share or the True Blue consortium. However, for the True Blue consortium to even be considered, it will need considerable momentum from supporters.
The principal consortium partners now have until Friday at 9pm UK time (5pm EST) to make their offers.
The list will then be whittled down to three or four bids for further discussions and negotiations before a decision is finally made.
The Government is not involved in any of the decision-making but is simply there to ensure Roman Abramovich doesn’t take any of the money while he is sanctioned. The money will either be frozen or given to some sort of charity.