Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the recent purchaser of a minority stake in Manchester United, has shed light on his interest in acquiring Chelsea while simultaneously issuing a cautionary message to his new club.
The billionaire finalized the acquisition of a minority share in Manchester United this week, valued at over $1.3 billion.
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 has now disclosed that Chelsea caught his attention, citing the allure of owning a Premier League team and the prominence of the Premier League on the global football stage.
He expressed his long-standing interest in owning a Premier League club, acknowledging the rarity of such opportunities and revealing that the prospect of Manchester United being sold prompted him to explore the Chelsea option.
Despite Chelsea’s significant spending under Boehly’s ownership, they currently sit in 10th place in the Premier League standings, prompting 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.
Ratcliffe expressed gratitude for the lessons learned from previous blunders before acquiring Manchester United, recognizing 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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