Inside Roman Abramovich’s failed deal to make FC Nantes as Chelsea feeder club
Roman Abramovich once explored acquiring French side FC Nantes to serve as a feeder club for the Premier League giants, but ultimately abandoned the deal after concluding the Ligue 1 outfit was too big for a secondary developmental role.
Former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich once explored purchasing French outfit FC Nantes to serve as a feeder club for the Premier League giants, according to former Blues goalkeeping coach Christophe Lollichon.
The Feeder Club Strategy
During his 15-year tenure at Stamford Bridge between 2007 and 2022, Lollichon recalls being summoned to Roman Abramovich’s office at Cobham to assess the viability of acquiring the Ligue 1 club.
The Russian billionaire was actively seeking a structured European side with a distinct playing identity to develop talent for Chelsea, a role similar to Strasbourg’s current partnership with Chelsea’s ownership group, BlueCo.
Lollichon noted that Abramovich showed serious initial interest in the French side’s setup and key personnel, even offering to deploy private jets to bring in technical staff to evaluate and reshape the project.
Why the Deal Collapsed
Despite the initial enthusiasm, the potential acquisition was shelved two months later.
Abramovich called Lollichon back to inform him that the club’s stature did not fit the intended blueprint, concluding that FC Nantes was “too big” for the secondary, developmental function Chelsea required.
The historic revelation comes at a transitional period for the Loire-Atlantique club.
Currently competing in Ligue 2, Nantes is edging closer to ending Waldemar Kita’s turbulent 19-year tenure as owner, with an agreement in principle reached to sell the team to a European consortium led by former football agent Paulo Tavares.
