Next Chelsea owner: Ricketts family unveil Stamford Bridge plan amid Stephen Pagliuca revelation

The Ricketts family claim they will immediately begin work to redevelop Stamford Bridge and intend to continue to play at the ground throughout that phase should their bid for the club be successful. Eric Nordness, the figure who headed up their £760 million redevelopments of the home of the Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field, has said that the group’s ‘priority and desire is to play every season at Stamford Bridge.

The news comes after Chelsea Supporters’ Trust on Monday evening urged the family to provide clarification that they will not look to move away from Chelsea’s home. Both Todd Boehly and Martin Broughton’s groups have suggested that they will look towards a stand by stand redevelopment.

Nordness proclaimed that they hope to make the best stadium in the Premier League, if not the largest, and sees several similarities with what they achieved in Chicago. He believes it sets their bid apart from their competitors.

Nordness says “Unequivocally, we do not want to leave Stamford Bridge. We think it is super important. It is going to be extremely hard, but we have done this before. Our priority and desire is to play every season at Stamford Bridge. We are the only ones (out of the bidders) who have done this and know the challenges. I feel like we can do it.”

“What I do know is we have to be at Stamford Bridge,” he added. “We have to respect the things that are really interesting and special about it. It has to be an intimate environment that has to be close to the pitch. It has to be unique compared to anything that has been done at Spurs or Arsenal — or Wrigley Field, or anywhere.

“You need the best experience — and size isn’t the ultimate arbiter of best. I think, particularly, intimacy to the pitch is important. You get the physicality of the game. The idea that you get as many people as close to the pitch as possible is really important.

“Looking at the stadium, we think it is critical that we redevelop Stamford Bridge. Our plans are to redevelop Stamford Bridge. We know what that road map looks like, and we will go fast… and we will deliver. There is a path to five years and there is a path to double that, depending on how everyone wants to proceed.

“As soon as we can, like the minute, if we were to win this [bid], we would be on the ground to be moving forward and do all the things we need to do on the prep. We will hit the ground running fast. It is our job to be really efficient to get it to people as soon as possible.”

However, that is not the only concern that the Blues’ supporters’ trust said they had around the Ricketts’ bid. The fan group believe they have still not addressed a method of overcoming supporters’ concerns surrounding inclusivity and diversity. Some of Chelsea’s following protested the fact that the Ricketts family were still under consideration by Raine Group ahead of the clash with Brentford in the Premier League.

The Chicago Club owners have been comparatively vocal in their campaign to win ownership of Chelsea, and the CST hopes that other bidders will be allowed to publicly announce their own commitments. The supporters’ trust further said they have met other groups in relation to a takeover but have yet to receive any contact from Stephen Paglicua’s group.

They said in a statement: “The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust has set out a number of key expectations of any potential new owner. These expectations have the clear support of our membership. We have also received cross-party political support for them, and all prospective bidders that we met have me have looked favourable upon them.

We note the commitments made by the Ricketts family. While they go some way towards meeting our expectations, we remain concerned that they have not addressed how they will allay supporters’ concerns and worries, particularly with regard to inclusivity and diversity, and believe a further clarification that they will not look to move Chelsea FC from Stamford Bridge is needed.

We hope other bidders will be given the right to publicly set out their own commitments to Chelsea supporters. As previously stated, the club and Raine group must ensure this process is open, fair and transparent. The CST can confirm that it has had no contact whatsoever from the bid reportedly led by Stephen Pagliuca.