Fans group will give new Chelsea owner a huge problem with the stadium

The new owners of Chelsea - as and when Roman Abramovich completes a sale of the club - will face the same headaches as the Russian billionaire over expanding Stamford Bridge or relocating, not least because of the power of the Chelsea Pitch Owners (CPO).

One vital area where Chelsea remain uncompetitive compared to rivals is their stadium's 41,837 capacity, in an era when West Ham, Arsenal and Tottenham to name just three clubs in London alone each have modern grounds than can hold between 60,000 and 63,000 supporters.

The upshot is Chelsea are earning as little as half as much each season from matchday income: tickets, hospitality, catering, food and drink sales and club shop visitors.

Roman Abramovich's arrival at Chelsea in the summer of 2003 changed football and he will depart as the most successful owner in modern English club history.

Chelsea weren't no-hopers before the Russian bought the club from Ken Bates for £140million. They finished an average fifth place in the Premier League in the five seasons previously, and won the FA Cup in 1997 and 2000, and the League Cup in 1998.

But having only won a single top-flight title previously (in 1955), under Abramovich's ownership Chelsea have won the Premier League five times, the Champions League twice, the FA Cup a further five times, the League Cup three times and the Europa League twice. 

Their average league finish in his time as owner has been third. Abramovich spent mountains for that success, or to be precise, close to £1billion, net, on transfers, and £3.7bn on wages since 2003. 

Abramovich gained planning permission in 2017 for a redevelopment of Stamford Bridge that would increase capacity to 60,000, although it would have come at an eye-watering cost of