Abramovich wanted to turn Regent’s Park into Chelsea training ground… before learning it was owned by the Queen
ROMAN ABRAMOVICH wanted to turn Regent's Park into Chelsea's training ground, according to former owner Ken Bates.
Bates sold the Blues to Abramovich in 2003 for £140million.
They agreed a deal quickly after the Russian had previously shown an interest in purchasing Manchester United.
After the takeover was completed Abramovich took a helicopter ride over the city and took a liking to Regent's Park.
Recalling the trip, Bates told : “Abramovich hired a helicopter for a trip around London.
"He saw the park and said: 'That looks like a good park. Let's buy that for the training ground.'
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"But he got told "I don't think you will get that. That's Regent's Park and it's owned by the Queen.'"
Abramovich instead turned his attention to developing Chelsea's training ground at Cobham, creating a state-of-the-art facility.
He grew the club on and off the pitch and sold it to Todd Boehly for £4.25billion last year.
Chelsea won every domestic and European cup during Abramovich's 19-year reign.
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But Bates did not expect much when he took over, revealing he did not even know how much he was worth.
Asked if he knew how much Abramovich would spend on Chelsea after buying the club, Bates said: “Well of course I didn’t. I didn’t know how much he was worth.”