CHELSEA are faced with a nightmare choice over plans for a new stadium.

Blues, bosses believe they have only two options: spend SIX YEARS away from Stamford Bridge while it is redeveloped, or pay the trouble to buy land and build elsewhere.

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And there is growing frustration within the club that little progress has been made since the new owners arrived almost two years ago.

Chelsea previously wanted to renovate the stadium’s current standby, as Liverpool did at Anfield.

In October, the owners of a veterans housing block next to Stamford Bridge agreed to sell the club, under new owner Todd Boehly, a plot of land next to the stadium for £80 million.

That deal has yet to be completed, but sources say club chiefs have now decided that going through separate planning and construction processes and all the associated disruptions would be unworkable.

So if the Blues are determined to stay at the Stamford Bridge ground, which has been their home since 1905, that would mean demolishing the entire complex and starting over.

The latest estimate is that such a project would take six years, forcing the club to rent a temporary home such as Wembley.

Chelsea have been repeatedly linked with building a new ground on the site of the former Earls Court Exhibition Centre, around a mile from their current stadium.

But just buying the land there would cost at least £500 million before a brick was laid.

A new 60,000-seat stadium, similar to Tottenham’s new ground, would cost them at least an additional £1 billion.

Chelsea’s ownership group, led by Boehly, has spent £2.5 billion on purchasing the club in 2022 and promised £1.75 billion in further investment.

Since then, more than £1 billion has been spent on players.

But the stadium project has been much slower.

While Mauricio Pochettino is struggling to build a team on the pitch, his Chelsea bosses are finding it equally difficult to build a stadium out of it.

The consortium led by Todd Boehly is not only struggling to match the football success achieved under Roman Abramovich.

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Their new regime is also finding it difficult to solve the biggest problem that even the billionaire Russian failed to solve during his 19-year rule.

Namely, how can we provide a stadium and facilities that suit a club that aspires to be one of the best in the world and is necessary to generate the revenue to keep it that way.

Located in one of the wealthiest postcodes in the country, Chelsea is supposed to be the most glamorous place to watch Premier League football, perhaps in the world.

But it’s not even the top destination in London anymore.

Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham all moved into 60,000-seater houses, while Roman’s rubles brought the lion’s share of trophies to SW6.

Stamford Bridge, with its three aging stands and a capacity of just over 40,000, now feels shabby and old-fashioned in comparison.

Just as importantly, both Arsenal and Tottenham earn significantly more money per home game than Chelsea: £870,000 and £1.03 million more per match respectively.

And that’s a big reason why Tottenham overtook Chelsea in terms of total revenue for the first time in the latest Deloitte Money League, becoming the highest-earning club in London in 2022-2023 with £549.2 million.

It would be unfair to say that Abramovich and his henchmen and wives did not see the writing on the wall. Battersea Power Station, White City, Chelsea Barracks and the former Earls Court Exhibition Center – all were considered, rejected and, for some, reconsidered.

To finance the move to a new location, Abramovich wanted to sell Stamford Bridge. But a major problem was – and is – that the club does not have full ownership of the stadium itself.

That was sold in 1997 to a fan-run organization called Chelsea Pitch Owners, in a move designed to protect the club and its home after property speculators almost sold it out from under them.

In 2011, Abramovich attempted to buy back the property.

SunSport revealed how a number of people linked to Abramovich, chairman Bruce Buck and other members of the Chelsea hierarchy bought large numbers of CPO shares in the run-up to the vote.

But perhaps because of the atmosphere of distrust that emerged, they failed to secure the 75 percent of shareholder votes needed to approve the sale.

It wasn’t the kind of dick you’d imagine being made by Abramovich’s old friend Vladimir Putin.

It was Abramovich’s ties to Putin’s regime that ultimately derailed plans for a new stadium during his rule – forcing him to sell the problem and pass it on to new owners.

Chelsea received planning permission for a new 60,000-seat ground at Stamford Bridge in early 2017.

The FA thought it was a good idea to move Tottenham from Wembley and welcome another money-hungry tenant.

But the Blues announced in May 2018 that they would suspend their plans indefinitely, not long after the British government refused to grant Abramovich a new visa.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, Abramovich was among the accomplices sanctioned and for a while the club’s survival seemed to be at stake.

When Boehly and Clearlake Capital bought Chelsea for £2.5 billion in May 2022, they pledged to invest an additional £1.75 billion in a number of projects, including Stamford Bridge.

They quickly appointed Janet Marie Smith, an architect with extensive experience in renovating major sporting venues in America, to oversee the plans to revamp the Blues stadium.

Last October, Chelsea agreed to buy Stoll Mansions and 1.2 hectares of land next to the ground for £80 million.

Even that was not without controversy, as the Chelsea pensioners living there would have to be relocated.

But much bigger problems remain with Chelsea’s current home.

The District Line runs east to west along one side of it and the main line runs north to south on the other side.

There are major roads, social housing, Brompton Cemetery and all kinds of issues that make the redevelopment of the area a complicated, long and expensive process.

The latest view from within the club is that it would take six years to achieve this, but even that inconvenience would be better than the previous standby plan.

The alternative is to cough up prime real estate elsewhere – and the club appears no closer to finding an affordable, viable location than before. Not if Earls Court cost half a billion.

It is a difficult decision, crucial for the future of the club. Not something to rush.

But the longer Chelsea’s owners wait, the more ground they will lose to their rivals, both on and off the pitch.

ERIK TEN HAG is again under pressure at Manchester United.

The Red Devils’ latest defeat to Fulham meant they have already suffered ten defeats in the Premier League this season.

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It has also put them eight points clear of the top four race.

And it has led to calls from fans to replace the Dutchman at the helm.

But who could replace the former Ajax manager?

SunSport has looked at seven managers who could emerge to take over at Old Trafford under the new direction Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe want to take the club.

Graham Potter

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Graham Potter is already in discussions with Ineos about the takeover of Ten Hag.

The former Brighton manager failed at his last top-flight club at Chelsea but could be given a second chance at another English giant as his reputation remains largely intact.

Thomas Tuchel

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Thomas Tuchel achieved Champions League success with Chelsea, challenging in both the league and cups with the Blues before being prematurely sacked.

Things have not gone well for the German at Bayern Munich as his departure at the end of the season has already been confirmed, although reports suggest he wants the Old Trafford gig if it becomes available.

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Michael Carrick

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The ex-Man Utd midfielder performed well as manager of Championship club Middlesbrough, guiding the team to the play-offs last season.

After losing a large number of key players in the summer Middlesbrough have not reached the same heights in the transfer window, although they remain in the hunt.

Kieran McKenna

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Kieran Mckenna coached in various roles at Man Utd between 2016 and 2021, leaving the club the month after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked for Ipswich.

Since then, the Tractor Boys have become real play-off chasers, with the team sitting third in the Championship, generating a lot of interest from the top flight players.

Zinedine Zidane

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A Real Madrid legend as a player and manager, Zinedine Zidane guided the Spanish giants to an unprecedented Champions League three-string.

The Frenchman has been without a coaching job since 2021, but has since been linked with a host of top clubs, including Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Man Utd.

Gareth Southgate

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Gareth Southgate might be a surprise inclusion on this list if Dan Ashworth wasn’t heading to Man Utd to become the club’s sporting director.

Ashworth and Southgate worked together to create ‘England’ DNA” and laid the foundations for the modern England team, widely recognized as one of the most talented international teams.

Roberto De Zerbi

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Brighton have reportedly opened the door for Roberto De Zerbi to leave the Amex in the summer.

After impressing on the south coast by taking the Seagulls in their first ever European campaign, De Zerbi has attracted a number of suitors from big clubs including Liverpool and Man Utd.

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CHELSEA have earned one point less this season under Mauricio Pochettino than they did at this stage last year.

After Sunday's dreadful 4-2 home defeat to Wolves, the Blues sit 11th in the bottom half with just 31 points from 23 games.

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At this stage Chelsea had achieved 32 points last season under Graham Potter and were tenth.

The West Londoners fired Potter in April last year and eventually limped to twelfth place under caretaker boss Frank Lampard.

Chelsea fans have been dismayed by yet another poor campaign after being stuck in mid-table less than three years after winning the title. Champions League.

Commenting on the Blues' situation, one fan wrote on social media: “Pochettino has to go.”

While a second opined: “Potter was better btw, can't tell me Chelsea wouldn't be in a better position now with Palmer in attack and a stronger defensive organisation.”

A third shouted: “Justice for Graham Potter.”

And a fourth moaned: “There's not a single drop of growth, no improvement, just one step backwards.”

However, another commented: “That's conveniently ignoring the points Chelsea have picked up under Tuchel.”

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The Blues sacked Thomas Tuchel six games into the Premier League last season.

They had ten points at the time, having beaten Everton, Leicester and West Ham and drawn against Tottenham.

Chelsea went on to win Potter's first three Prem games, beating Crystal Palace, Wolves and Aston Villa.

But a staggering run of just two wins in their next one However, in 15 games they fell out of European contention, with Potter ultimately paying with his job.

Reports claimed yesterday that Chelsea bosses fear sacking Pochettino and his staff could lead to them breaking FFP rules.

SunSport understands the Argentine's job is safe for the time being.

Although fans chanted Jose Mourinho's name at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

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