Chelsea are in crisis but there is no will to leave club on their knees

Everybody knew the sanctions were coming; they had been inevitable, according to UK government sources. Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea owner, was in their crosshairs because of his links to Vladimir Putin, which had moved beyond the pale after Russia’s senseless invasion of Ukraine. Abramovich himself knew they were coming. Hence his decision to try to sell his UK assets, including Chelsea.

But when they did arrive at 9am on Thursday, they were still able to blindside the Chelsea hierarchy. On Wednesday, they had certainly not anticipated the imposition of them the following morning. The club entered a state of shock. So many questions, so few answers. Some of the players were concerned about what the future held for them – given that one of the measures involved Chelsea not being able to operate in the transfer market or offer new contracts. Ditto many members of staff. What did it all mean?

As the day progressed, the Premier League’s chief executive, Richard Masters, sent an email to the clubs. It was still early, nothing felt concrete, but there was a business-as-usual tone to his note. Masters reassured everybody that Chelsea would complete their remaining fixtures of the season. The integrity of the competition would not be compromised and it was a theme picked up by Thomas Tuchel. “As long as we have enough shirts and as long as the bus is full of fuel we will arrive and we will be competitive,” the Chelsea manager said.

The players have been told to concentrate on what they can influence, which they did on Thursday night with the 3-1 win at Norwich, keeping them third. Next is the visit of Newcastle to Stamford Bridge on Sunday which, it is fair to say, will be flavoured by ownership issues. But what kind of