It has been almost four years since Roman Abramovich left Chelsea and he enabled their FIFA Club World Cup victory that is still paying dividends
Roman Abramovich left Chelsea in 2022 with the club’s current owners sealing a deal exactly four years ago. But one of his legacies – helping his team qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup they went on to win – could continue to benefit their next manager.
The Blues are weathering a crisis. Having started the season under Enzo Maresca, they soon opted to go in a different direction, hiring Liam Rosenior in January. While his spell in charge began impressively, a run of five defeats without scoring ended his tenure last month.
Defeat to Nottingham Forest, with Calum McFarlane acting as interim head coach, was their latest setback. Now the hunt is on for who’ll succeed Rosenior as Chelsea look to climb back up their Champions League-winning heights of 2021. This title, which was sealed with Abramovich still involved, meant the team qualified for last summer’s Club World Cup.
There, despite not being heavily favoured, Maresca’s Chelsea defeated Paris Saint-Germain in the final and earned £85million in the process. This windfall could be utilised by whoever takes over from Rosenior at Stamford Bridge.
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With Abramovich still owning the club, Chelsea defeated Manchester City 1-0 in 2021 to win the Champions League. The Russian businessman soon left after nearly two decades of involvement, having bought them in 2003.
Abramovich’s assets were frozen and he was sanctioned by the UK Government because of alleged links to Vladimir Putin and Russia, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. A consortium headed by Todd Boehly sealed a deal to take over the club for £4.25billion on May 7, 2022.
Chelsea qualified for the Club World Cup as Champions League winners. In the United States, their earnings were divided into a guaranteed participation fee and performance-based bonuses earned during the tournament.
Their group stage victories earned them £3m and they received £5.6m for reaching the round of 16. Advancing to the quarter-finals added £9.7m, and winning the semi-finals brought in £15.6m. Their win against PSG meant £85m was their total prize money.
Last summer, with Abramovich long gone and Maresca at the helm, the club spent nearly £200m on recruits, including Joao Pedro and Liam Delap. But it is still conceivable that some of the £85m Club World Cup sum remains unspent.
Abramovich’s legacy could be handed to whoever takes the reins in west London next and The Independent reports that Barcelona icon Xavi Hernandez is under consideration. The Spaniard has been without a job since he left the Catalan club in 2024 and five years prior he made an admission about potential Premier League management.
Just as he was named as Barcelona boss, Xavi was asked whether he’d want to ever manage in the English top flight. After describing his love for his Spanish employers, he said: “Who doesn’t like the Premier League?
“The football atmosphere, the packed stadiums and the people who play in the Premier League say it’s extraordinary. Obviously, if I had to choose, I would choose a big team.
“[Manchester] City or United, Chelsea, Arsenal or Tottenham. Also, [Jurgen] Klopp and [Mauricio] Pochettino and Unai Emery, many people who have gone there are doing an extraordinary job.”
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