Chelsea eyeing new Stamford Bridge

He Chelsea This Wednesday, it could receive an important boost to remodel Stamford Bridge if the green light is given to the purchase, worth 75 million euros, of land adjacent to the stadium that will allow the capacity of the field to be expanded.

This space is in the hands of Stolla charitable association that cares for war veterans, and has entered into an agreement with Chelsea for sale, according to the London newspaper ‘Night Standard‘. This Wednesday, Stoll will publish the results of a survey of residents in the area and in October will make a final decision on whether to sell the land or not.

Away from Arsenal and Tottenham

A possible sale would allow Stamford Bridge to expand, a stadium with just 42,000 spectators, a far cry from its neighbors in Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, and will eliminate the headache of moving from their current location to build a new field. The plan is to change the stadium up to 55,000 spectators and, to do this, they will have an investment of 75 million euros.

However, the purchase of these lands was not without controversy, as it was necessary to ensure that the military pensioners living in these apartments would not be left on the street and that the medical clinic in the building would not disappear. It is estimated, according to the clinic itself, that 6,500 people in that residential area could be looking for something new.

Another drawback is that the life property is in the hands of a non-profit association called Chelsea Pitch Ownersis run by the fans and will have the power to veto any attempt to move or change the stadium.

This agreement was made in the late 90s to prevent outside investors from taking over the stadium and has been maintained to this day despite attempts to Roman Abramovich to control it. The Russian tycoon also attempted to build a new stadium in 2012 on the site of Battersea Power Station, but the proposal was rejected.