Nick Candy just wants Chelsea ‘in safe hands’; Tilman Fertitta shows ‘tepid interest’

Nick Candy just wants Chelsea ‘in safe hands’; Tilman Fertitta shows ‘tepid interest’ 

Nick Candy just wants Chelsea ‘in safe hands’; Tilman Fertitta shows ‘tepid interest’ 

There are four days to go until the bidding window SLAMS shut, to borrow some terminology from transfer windows since this feels like one already, and among those many groups who haven’t actually yet submitted bid, Nick Candy’s is perhaps the most viable, or at least the most visible and talked about. That, of course, is probably by design. Candy was at the game on Sunday, which supposedly isn’t an uncommon thing for him as a Chelsea fan, but of course there were many more eyes and lenses on him then normal, even given his semi-celebrity status. And in an interview given before the match, he also claimed that at the end of the day, he just wants his beloved club in “safe hands”. 

“I have supported Chelsea since I was the age of four. My dad was asked to play for Chelsea. I love Chelsea. I don’t mind where it ends up, even if it’s not with me, as long as it’s in safe hands.” -Nick Candy; source: Sky via Mail Candy’s own would certainly be safe hands, just as they are when guiding his superyacht or glad-handing with the current ruling party in the UK, or shaking hands with Russian oligarchs back in the day when he and his brother, Christian, established themselves as the biggest luxury property dealers in London, selling multi-million pound homes and flats to the likes of Boris Berezovsky and Roman Abramovich.

 Well well well, how the turntables! But hey, it’s all about knowing the right people, right? And being in the right place at the right time with the right intentions, such a possible “golden share” for the fans. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Pond where the vast majority of the supposed interest appears to be coming from, Houston Rockets owner (and restauranteur and reality star) Tilman Fertitta is the latest to be supposedly checking out this opportunity — though according to Sky News, his interest is only at a “tepid” level right now. Fertitta may be interested in joining another bid as well though, like many others who have been linked, so we may yet hear his name again in the near future.

 Sponsors fleeing the Chelsea “brand” and related association due to the sanctions placed on the club and soon-to-be former owner Roman Abramovich by the UK government have not quite been able to do so, thanks to the sanctions themselves. Shirt sponsors Three UK and shirt-sleeve sponsors Hyundai have both suspended their sponsorship in the wake of last Thursday’s announcement, specifically wanting their logos removed from the team’s shirts, but Chelsea played both the game later that Thursday and on Sunday as well in the same old familiar kit, with all the usual decorations. Ironically, according to The Athletic, that’s due to the sanctions themselves. Apparently we’ve been “unable to print new kits” because of the “severe operational restrictions” imposed by the sanctions.

 In order to get new shirts, we would have to stop complying with the stipulations of the General Licence issued by the government to enable the club to continue operating on a restricted basis. For their part, Three UK are apparently “not planning to take any legal action” to resolve the issue and are happy to take the free advertisement and publicity but “remain keen” to see the logo removed ... at least until the new owners are in place, who would “rectify any problems” they might have, and at which point they’ll be happy to resume their partnership. But maybe the club can take inspiration from some of the matchgoing fans, and then, once able, look for sponsors that won’t leave the club high and dry at the first sign of trouble.