Former Manchester United and Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon has praised Roman Abramovich and believes he was an "unbelievably good owner" during his Stamford Bridge tenure.
In June 2003, Abramovich became the owner of the companies that control Chelsea, taking over from Ken Bates, who subsequently moved to Leeds United. During the Russian's time at Stamford Bridge, the Blues won 21 trophies.
The appointment of Jose Mourinho in June 2004 helped transform Chelsea's fortunes. They, alongside Manchester United, would dominate English football for a decade, with the Blues spending a sizeable sum of money on players to ensure they competed with the best in the country, and even Europe.
Abramovich helped Chelsea to back-to-back Premier League titles in the 2004/05 and 2005/06 season, and that success ensured he was an instant hit with the club's fanbase. Further silverware came in the form of the FA Cup and EFL Cup, but the Blues had to wait until May 2012 to win the Champions League.
The 58-year-old is considered as a legend in west London and his success continued into the late 2010s and early 2020s, with Chelsea winning a fourth Premier League in 2016/17 and a second Champions League four years later. However, Abramovich confirmed in March 2022 that he would be selling the club due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, with the United Kingdom government freezing his assets apart from Chelsea.
That May, Chelsea announced that a new ownership group led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital had agreed on the terms to acquire the club. Since then, Boehly and Clearlake have spent a considerable amount on the playing squad but that hasn't translated to success on the pitch, with frustration building among the Chelsea fans.
During a protest over the club's current ownership on Tuesday, some Chelsea supporters sang Roman Abramovich's name and it appears they are grateful for what the Russian achieved at the Blues.
Now, former Chelsea chief executive Kenyon, who joined the Blues in 2003 when Abramovich hired him to oversee the successful construction of another dynasty, has hailed the Russian for four key reasons.
"Abramovich was an unbelievably good owner, no matter what anybody says. He put his own money in, he left it with no debt, he was passionate about it, he came to games," Kenyon told the Business of Sport podcast.
"I think the worst owners are absent owners, who don’t feel the temperature of the fanbase, that it’s just an investment. You know what, there’s better things to just put your money into. I don’t believe it’s a normal PE play. I think your marbles have gone if that’s what you’re trying to do."
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