Roman Abramovich has thanked Chelsea fans for their support as his sale of the club to American Todd Boehly nears its completion.
The Blues confirmed earlier on Saturday that a final agreement had been struck to sell the club to Boehly, who is expected to assume control of the club on Monday once all the paperwork has been finalised.
With his time at the club coming to an end, Abramovich has released a statement to express his gratitude to the Chelsea supporters for an historic reign of nearly 20 years.
He wrote: "It has been nearly three months since I announced my intention to sell Chelsea FC. During this time, the team have worked hard to find the right custodian for Chelsea FC that would be best positioned to successfully lead the Club into its next chapter.
"The ownership of this Club comes with great responsibility. Since I came to Chelsea nearly twenty years ago, I have witnessed first-hand what this Club can achieve. My goal has been to ensure that the next owner has a mindset that will enable success for the Men’s and Women’s team, as well as the will and drive to continue developing other key aspects of the Club, such as the Academy and the vital work of Chelsea Foundation.
"I am pleased this search has now come to a successful conclusion. As I hand over Chelsea to its new custodians, I would like to wish them the best of success, both on and off the pitch.
"It has been an honour of a lifetime to be a part of this Club – I would like to thank all the Club’s past and current players, staff, and of course fans for these incredible years.
"I am proud that as a result of our joint successes, millions of people will now benefit from the new charitable foundation which is being established. This is the legacy which we have created together.
"Thank you. Roman."
Source : 90min