Sven-Goran Eriksson has admitted he told former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to buy Chelsea instead of Tottenham since he thought the Blues would need less improvement.
While Chelsea were on an upward trajectory before Abramovich’s arrival, it was after the Russian billionaire’s takeover that the club started winning big trophies with regularity and established itself as a global powerhouse.
Abramovich, in many ways, was the first mega-rich owner in the Premier League and set the stage for what followed with the likes of Manchester City and more recently, Newcastle United.
The 56-year-old was eventually forced to sell the club last year owing to his ties with the Russian government following the invasion of Ukraine.
It has been well-publicised over the years that Abramovich considered buying a stake in Tottenham before his decision to purchase the West London club (Times).
Eriksson has now revealed that he advised the billionaire to pursue Chelsea over their London rivals.
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The Swede said in the new Paramount+ documentary Fever Pitch (as relayed by The Daily Mail): “He wanted me to give advice on which club to buy, Chelsea or Tottenham.
“So I asked him: ‘What do you want to do with the club?’. Win,’ he said. And I said to him ‘If you want to win, Chelsea, because you only need to buy half a team’.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Chelsea were essentially the first artificially inflated club and the fact that there were no FFP laws back then meant that they were able to get away with spending beyond their means.
While some Spurs fans would have likely been glad to see a sugar daddy like Abramovich takeover Tottenham, I am proud of the values we stand for and the fact that we remain a self-sufficient club.
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