Russian playing game of high-stakes poker

Q Is all this linked to Roman Abramovich’s visa situation? A Very much so. The owner has no wish to invest more than £1billion into the capital of a country in which he is not allowed to work. He can now travel to England under his Israeli citizenship, but until he is allowed to work here, then it seems the new stadium is off.

Q

What is the state of play with Abramovich’s visa?

A Chelsea maintain that it is a private matter, but The Jerusalem Post has

claimed that Abramovich has now withdrawn his application for an investor visa. Q

Does this mean Abramovich is considering walking away from Chelsea? A There is nothing to suggest that Abramovich is considering selling up and sources insist he will continue to invest in the Chelsea squad this summer. But there must be doubts over the direction that Chelsea take given that their owner will currently not expand the club. Q Is he still providing them with funds for significant transfer fees and big-name managers? A Chelsea are not just stuck in limbo over the new stadium. Abramovich is also playing a game of poker over his interest in replacing Antonio Conte with Maurizio Sarri. That is currently in the hands of Sarri’s lawyers. Chelsea have some big-name summer targets, but they are finding it increasingly difficult to compete with the richest clubs

in Europe. That will surely worsen if they have to remain in a stadium that can hold only 41,631 while trying to satisfy Financial Fair Play rules. Q

Might Chelsea fans have to lower their expectations compared to the past 15 years? A Most Chelsea fans already have. In recent years, they have got used to boom or bust and it may well be that a club who have prided themselves on judging success against trophies may be increasingly grateful just to get back into the top four in the Premier League.