Roman Abramovich could have bought Arsenal in 2003 but was told the Gunners were not for sale. This would have changed the landscape of the Premier League.
Roman the Gunner! New book claims that Abramovich nearly bought Arsenal in 2003 before being told the club was ‘not for sale’…while he also tried to lure Thierry Henry to Stamford Bridge in his Premier League heyday
Roman Abramovich nearly bought Arsenal in 2003 but told they weren’t for saleThe Russian billionaire also spoke to Tottenham chairman about buying the clubNew book also claims Abramovich tried to sign Thierry Henry for Chelsea
By Ash Rose For Mailonline
Published: 18:37 EDT, 20 September 2022 Updated: 19:56 EDT, 20 September 2022
Roman Abramovich could have bought Arsenal instead of Chelsea but was told the club was not for sale by Swiss bankers, it has emerged.
It is a revelation made in a new book, The Club, written by Wall Street journalists Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg.
The landscape of the Premier League could have been very different if the Russian billionaire had invested in the north side of London.
According to The Sun, the book claims that in 2003, Abramovich hired Swiss bank UBS to look at the economics of top-flight football clubs in England and was told that Arsenal were ‘categorically not for sale’.
It later states that former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein believes the club’s owners would have cashed in if Abramovich had came calling with a serious offer for the Gunners.
It is also claimed the Russian oligarch met with Tottenham’s owners and tried to lure Thierry Henry to Stamford Bridge when the Frenchman was in his Premier League pomp.
Instead, Abramovich ended up on the other side of London and bought Chelsea in a reign that would last 19 years.
During his spell as owner of Chelsea, the 55-year-old transformed the club, investing in some of the world’s best players that helped the Blues win 21 trophies.
The trophy haul included five Premier League triumphs, five FA Cup wins and two Champions League successes. He also oversaw the hiring and firing of 13 managers during his term in charge of the club.
His ownership came to an end earlier this year as he was forced give up control of the club as part of sanctions imposed on him by the Government because of his links to Russia and their invasion of Ukraine.
Abramovich penned an emotional farewell to the club, where he called owning Chelsea ‘the honour of a lifetime’ in a 234-word statement.
American billionaire Todd Boehly bought Chelsea in May, paying ?4.25billion to succeed Abramovich as owner of the the Blues.
Boehly has quickly shown he shares a similar ruthless streak to his predecessor by sacking Thomas Tuchel after just six games into the Premier League season.
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