Todd Boehly has spent massively on player signings at Chelsea since buying the club last year and if the latest reports are to be believed then he has no plans of slowing down.
The Daily Mail is reporting that the Chelsea owner is planning a redevelopment of Stamford Bridge and this could force the Blues to shift to a temporary home ground for as many as four seasons.
The current capacity of Chelsea’s home ground is 40,341 and it is the smallest among the Premier League’s big six clubs. However, Boehly is looking to change this by turning the Bridge into a 60,000-capacity stadium by spending around £2 billion.
The current home ground will be bulldozed and a new stadium will come up in its place and there are schedules to complete it by 2030.
Previous owner Roman Abramovich had gained permission to redevelop the ground in 2017 but that permission expired in 2020 so the new owners will have to apply for fresh permissions.
Where will Chelsea play their home matches if Stamford Bridge is bulldozed?
If the latest gossip is anything to go by then Fulham’s Craven Cottage is the first priority for Chelsea and Boehly has already approached Fulham owner Shahid Khan to discuss the possibility of a temporary relocation.
Tottenham Hotspur had played at Wembley Stadium while they were building their new home ground and if things don’t work out with Fulham, Chelsea could also walk in that direction.
Rugby Union’s Twickenham Stadium(82,000 capacity) which is situated in southwest London is also an option for the Blues.
Stamford Bridge opened its gates for the fans on 28 April 1877 and over the years, it has seen two major renovations. Back in 2017 when Roman had gained permission to redevelop the Bridge, Twickenham Stadium was one of the frontrunners for becoming their temporary ground. Chelsea had also approached the FA to move to the Wembley but the Blues wanted exclusive rights to the stadium during the tenure when they would have been playing there.
