What do Abramovich's sanctions mean for Arsenal


What do Abramovich's sanctions mean for Arsenal

By Matt Wright 
To say Arsenal’s ‘old friends’ from the west end of town were hit by a bombshell on Thursday is an understatement, as Chelsea Football Club have been seized by the UK government. 

This formed part of the sanctions placed upon their owner Roman Abramovich – whose name Blues fans still shamefully sing while the rest of English football shows its solidarity with Ukraine. 

As a result of his “close relationship” with Russia president Vladimir Putin, Abramovich, Chelsea’s owner and sugar daddy for the past 19 years, has had his assets frozen by the government, greatly impacting on how his plaything, sorry club, can be run. 

For a start, the plan for Abramovich to sell them has had to be shelved. 

They are now unable to sell any merchandise or further tickets, although supporters with season tickets can still attend matches at Stamford Bridge. 

It has also effectively placed Chelsea under a transfer ban – one they can’t actually find a way around, this time – as they are unable to buy or sell players. 

What’s more, they can’t negotiate new contracts for their current players, meaning the likes of Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen are set to leave on free transfers this summer. 

The government’s actions have undoubtedly caused tremors in the Premier League and mean Chelsea, as a business, have an uncertain few months ahead of them. 

What does this all mean for Arsenal?

Abramovich’s arrival came at a time when the Gunners were not only top dogs in London, but in the country – it took over a year from his takeover for them to lose a league game, after all. 

Infuriatingly, Gooners have had to watch them win trophy after trophy (let’s not list them, eh?) while witnessing their own team enter a long period of decline they are only just starting to show signs of steering away from. 

There have been other major changes to the landscape of English football in that time, of course – Chelsea aren’t even the only ‘sports-washing’ name in town anymore. 

In the short term, though, we won’t be seeing a major difference on the pitch. 

Whether we like them or not (okay, none of us do), Chelsea are one of the strongest teams in the Premier League, are well-managed by Thomas Tuchel and their deep squad is allowing them to compete on three fronts, at present. 

The chances are we may have to live through them parading another trophy around by the time the 2021/22 season comes to a close. 

But it’s beyond this summer that things could get interesting, as they are going to lose players and won’t be able to go cap-in-hand to their owner to bring in replacements. 

At the moment, it is too early to tell how soon/long the club will be allowed to be sold, as Abramovich can now no longer make any profit from it happening. 

But Chelsea are a loss-making operation that any prospective new owners may find tough to bankroll in the way Abramovich has. 

If they are forced to cut their cloth accordingly and stop having their needs mostly met by a super-rich individual, the old chant “where were you when you were… not so good” may assume new relevance. 

And, after all the misery they’ve put us through, not a single self-respecting Arsenal fan will have any sympathy for them.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Popular posts from this blog

What have we learned from Arsenal's pre-season so far?

Image
  Arsenal – what have we learned from pre-season? By Jack Lacey-Hatton It only feels five minutes since Euro 2020, but incredibly we are just one week away from the new Premier League season starting. Arsenal will travel to newly promoted Brentford for a London derby in front of a noisy crowd next Friday night, not the easiest of starts to the new campaign. But what sort of shape are Mikel Arteta’s side in, going into what could be a defining season for the manager? We took a close look at what we have learnt from the pre-season period and what kind of shape the squad are in.   The new signings are ready to go It has been a mixed transfer window so far. Some fans would have expected more both leaving and arriving at the Emirates stadium over the summer. But positives can be taken - Ben White has arrived from Brighton for £50million, and highly-rated full back Nuno Tavares has come in from Benfica. Albert Sambi Lokonga completes the 2021 summer singings so far. Cruc...
Read more

Transfer Profile: Ruben Neves

Image
Transfer Profile: Ruben Neves By Jonny Bray It is hard to believe that Ruben Neves is still only 25-years-old.   It feels as if the Portuguese international has been tipped for big things for nearly a decade now.  With the midfielder out of contract in 2023, it appears his time at Wolverhampton Wanderers could be coming to an end.  Understandably, with a player like Neves on offer for a reduced price, clubs around Europe are queueing up to secure the international's signature.  So, after all this time, should Arsenal move for Ruben Neves now, or is it time for the Gunners to turn their attention to a new target?  What would he bring?  Arsenal do not have enough defensive midfielders.  Martin Ødegaard, Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka give Mikel Arteta plenty of midfield options going forward, but the Gunners have been found lacking when out of possession this season. Thomas Partey has been in and out of the side due to injuries, a fact that has not hel...
Read more

Where will Arsenal finish this season?

Image
Where will Arsenal finish this season? By Alec McQuarrie Arsenal have made steady improvement over the last few seasons under Mikel Arteta. After finishing 8th in his debut season, the Spaniard oversaw a five-point improvement in his first full campaign.  And last year an eight-point leap followed, which was unfortunately not enough to pip Tottenham to fourth place.  Cruelly, the 69 points accumulated would have been enough to seal Champions League qualification in the previous two seasons.  Looking at the trajectory over the Arteta era, it would be fair to assume a continued improvement this coming season.  After all, with five signings already secured this summer and Alexandre Lacazette the sole first-team player to depart, surely fourth place should be a bare minimum expectation.  Oleksandr Zinchenko offers much-needed cover at left-back and competition for central midfield.  Gabriel Jesus is a proven goalscorer and brings a tireless work-ethic to fulfil...
Read more