Roman Abramovich’s ‘strange’ decision to sell Chelsea is ‘not good news’ for the London club, according to Tottenham boss Antonio Conte.
Abramovich has made the ‘incredibly difficult’ decision to sell Premier League giants Chelsea amid the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Blues have won 19 trophies since the Russian billionaire bought the club in 2003 and Conte says it has been an ‘amazing period’ for the club.
Conte was one of the 15 managers who worked under Abramovich at Chelsea and guided the London side to the Premier League title in 2017 and the FA Cup trophy the following campaign.
Reacting to Abramovich’s decision to sell Chelsea, the Tottenham head coach said: ‘It’s very strange because he was the owner for many years.
‘Chelsea in this period won a lot of trophies. For sure it was an amazing period for Chelsea. ‘Now, you hear that he wants to sell the club. For sure, it’s not good news for Chelsea fans, because of what he did in this period.’
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel said Abramovich’s announcement ‘had not sunk in’ after the FA Cup victory over Luton Town on Wednesday.
The Blues manager was asked about Abramovich’s imminent exit again at his pre-match press conference on Friday morning and said he was a ‘very special owner’.
‘He was and is a very very passionate owner, who cares about the team, the club and the performance personally, which is very rare and makes him very special,’ Tuchel said.
Asked if Chelsea’s next owner could be as successful, Tuchel said: ‘I don’t know. Let’s speak in 20 years and we’ll see. Whoever buys Chelsea is lucky to have it.’
Chelsea return to Premier League action on Saturday Burnley, while Spurs will be looking to boost their top-four hopes against Everton on Monday.
