Chelsea's dream of a bigger stadium will have to wait. The English Premier League giant has failed in their bid to acquire the 39-acre site home to the Battersea Power Station, where they planned to build a new stadium.
A club statement read: "We are disappointed not to be selected as the preferred bidder for Battersea Power Station, as we believe we can create an iconic and architecturally significant stadium on the site in a scheme which is commercially viable and of great benefit to the Wandsworth community and London generally."
The site, which is currently unoccupied, was instead purchased by Malaysian companies, SP Setia and Sime Darby.
Chelsea currently plays at Stamford Bridge which has a capacity of 42,000, the eighth largest in the EPL. Their plan was to build a new 60,000-seat stadium in order to improve revenue and compete with clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal. When they announced their intention to bid on the property, the club insisted that they were not definitely committed to leaving Stanford Bridge but claimed it was not economically viable to renovate their current stadium.
Now Chelsea, which won the Champions League, will have to look for a new development site, although their fans would like to see them stay. Chelsea Pitch Owners, the fans' group that own the freehold of Stamford Bridge claim the club has not fully explored the prospect of revamping the stadium. In addition, local city councils have disagreed with the club's claim that moving locations would be less expensive than revamping Stamford Bridge.
In other news, Chelsea is close to signing Brazilian international Hulk after acquiring Belgian playmaker Eden Hazard. They also are said to be targeting Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini. The moves are part of a rebuilding process for the Blues, who finished sixth in the league last season.
The club does not currently have a permanent manager, although reports indicate that interim coach Roberto Di Matteo may get the job.
