By Kieran Maguire

27th Sep, 2023 | 6:03am

Kieran Maguire reveals big issue in Chelsea stadium development plans

Chelsea may face resistance from their wealthy neighbours if they plan to redevelop Stamford Bridge.

That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about Chelsea’s need to maximise matchday income.

The Blues agreed a deal with Ares Management this month to invest a further £400million into the club.

As revealed by Football Insider, on Thursday (21 September) the deal takes the total investment in Chelsea under Todd Boehly’s ownership to over £2billion.

The new £400million investment in the club will be used to help fund Chelsea’s stadium expansion after the club bought a plot of land next to Stamford Bridge.

Maguire believes it is ‘absolutely essential’ for Chelsea to close the gap to Tottenham and Manchester United in terms of matchday income.

“Chelsea are generating somewhere in the region of £50million less than Tottenham and Manchester United in terms of matchday income,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.

“If we are going to move to a soft wage cap as a percentage of revenue, then it’s absolutely essential for Chelsea to maximise revenue streams. 

“But you have to ask, how is this money coming into Chelsea?

“Is it going to be a loan? If so, you’ve got interest costs.

“How long is it going to take for a revamp of the stadium?

“Because Chelsea is in a very attractive part of London which means that you’ve got very wealthy and very powerful neighbours who won’t necessarily want to have a construction site next to their swanky apartment over the course of the next two or three years.

“There will also be more people around town or more people around the area on a match day which could cause potential issues.“

In other news, major update today on Chelsea potentially sacking Pochettino