Blues may lose the lot
CHELSEA could be left with no new stadium, no manager and no star player this summer, former chief executive Trevor Birch warned last night.
And as the club’s negotiations for former Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri hit a new snag, owner Roman Abramovich’s problems mounted.
Abramovich has called a halt to the £1billion redevelopment of Stamford Bridge and dropped his request for a UK investor visa in retaliation to the government’s hardline stance on Russian oligarchs in this country, prompting worries he may even be thinking of selling the club.
Birch, who left Chelsea in 2003, said: “Chelsea fans now face the prospect of no stadium, no manager and no star player if Eden Hazard, above, moves to Real Madrid. “The stadium news is obviously linked to the visa situation. “There have been rising costs and it’s a difficult project to deliver, but this is clearly Roman upping the ante in the spat with the Home Office. “If the visa issue isn’t resolved anything could happen.” WOLVES have completed the signings of Benik Afobe and Willy Boly, who had been on loan at Molineux from Bournemouth and Porto respectively.
Striker Afobe has joined for around £12million and Boly joins for £10m after the Premier League new-boys triggered options for permanent deals.
Afobe, 25, scored six goals in 17 games last term while Boly, 27, played 37 times to help the club to the Championship title. EVERTON fan Michael Fitzpatrick, who assaulted Lyon players during a Europa League tie last October while carrying his toddler in his arms, has been jailed for eight weeks. WATFORD will demand £15million in compensation from Everton for tapping up former manager Marco Silva, who signed up at Goodison on Thursday, seven months after the Toffees began their pursuit. HUDDERSFIELD have signed Leicester keeper Ben Hamer on a three-year deal. The 30-year-old made 12 appearances in four years for the Foxes. PAUL TISDALE has ended his 12-year stint as Exeter manager to become MK Dons boss. The 45-year-old had been the Football League’s longestserving manager. The Grecians lost their League Two play-off final to Coventry on Sunday.