Abramovich still committed to Chelsea despite exile for nearly three years

Billionaire owner, Roman Abramovich, has reiterated his commitment to Chelsea.

The Russian has not been able to watch the Blues at Stamford Bridge in nearly three years because of visa issues.

His visa problems and inability to watch live games, plus the delay on proposed plans to demolish and rebuild the stadium – at an estimated personal cost of £1 billion – had lead to speculation that he was preparing to walk away.

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It is believed Abramovich has was watched just three live games – Chelsea’s Europa League final against Arsenal in 2019, a friendly against RB Salzburg a month later and the win over Krasnodar last October – since leaving London for Israel in April 2018.

In the years since his last visit, there have been on-off rumours that the Blues had been put up for sale, with the Russian reportedly looking for more than £2bn.

But in a rare interview with Forbes, Abramovich has doubled down on his desire to lead Chelsea into the future after last summer’s huge £222million transfer spend.

The 54-year-old said: “The ambitions are as true now as they were when I first became owner and I hope that can be seen through the work we have been doing on and off the pitch over the last 17 years.

“Chelsea has a very rich history, and I feel extremely fortunate to play a part in that.

“The club was here before me, and will be hereafter me, but my job is to ensure we are as successful as we can be today, as well as build for the future.

“That’s why the success of our academy at Cobham [training ground] is so important to me.”