Sanctioned: The Inside Story of the Sale of Chelsea FC

by Nick Purewal

The sale of Chelsea Football Club in 2022 was one of the highest-profile and most controversial sports transactions of all time. In the shadow of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, what unfolded after Roman Abramovich was forced to put his beloved club up for sale would change English football for ever. Under the threat of bankruptcy and ruin, Chelsea pulled off a complex transaction in a quarter of the time many analysts would normally set aside for such a deal. Sanctioned is the definitive account of this unique period.

Through unprecedented access to Abramovich himself and further interviews with a star-studded footballing cast, Nick Purewal unfolds a wide-ranging tale of political sanctions, hushed negotiations and Cold War-style geopolitics, all told against a backdrop of war on the edge of Europe.

From the club's owners to its staff, players and supporters, via UK government intervention, dramatic peace talks and even a foul-play poisoning episode, Sanctioned chronicles ninety-five extraordinary days in English football.

298 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 10, 2025

Reviews

[Collin · Rating 4 out of 5]

From a fan’s perspective who was watching when this was all happening and keeping up with the news, this book did a great job to hit the main points and beautifully remind me of a few matches that represented “the good times.” (Basically pre-Lukaku interview)
Some missing information was filled in, where at the time no one knew what was actually happening during parts of the sale process, surrounding Abramovich’s involvement in peace talks between Ukraine and Russia and the attempted poisoning made on him.
I have a greater appreciation for the speed of the sale process. To meet the government’s deadline of May 31st, Chelsea staff were given only a few months to complete the transaction of the sale of one of the most well known sports brands in the world.
I would’ve appreciated more content on Boehly’s consortium and the author to stress that Boehly DOES NOT own 100% of the club, because most rival fans seem to think that. Anyways, I’d forgotten how many interested parties were duking it out for the purchase, so the book was a good reminder of a few names. I have a little more hope that the current owners actually crave success at Chelsea, rather than just profit, but only time will tell.
I loved learning more about Abramovich, because he often works in secret or suppresses (even positive) information about himself. Of course we don’t know everything about a person, but his willingness to shoulder the burden of helping peace talks between Russia in Ukraine, supporting humanitarian causes, writing off the debt of CFC, supporting CFC in the way he did, and encouraging opportunities for underrepresented groups really make him shine as an outstanding individual.

[Mugren Ohaly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This should have been a longform article. There’s not enough information to fill a 300 page book, which is obvious from all the repetition. I have no idea how an amateur journalist was able to get a book deal for this.

[Rog the Jammy Dodge · Rating 3 out of 5]

My initial impression was that this book was workmanlike and only for the Chelsea supporters amongst us. It is about the 'enforced' sale of Chelsea FC, further to sanctions imposed on the then owner, Roman Abramovich, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. As I read on, however, I began to get insights into the more private side of Roman Abramovich and his motivations in owning Chelsea in the first place. I warmed to him. As I read about the British Government's stance and their ill supported views / motivations over the years....I chilled to them.

In selling Chelsea, Abramovich wrote off the £1 billion debts he was owed...not doing so would have brought down the club he had loved for 19 years. Well over £2 billion from the sale was set aside to help victims of the Ukrainian conflict. He personally got nothing. However, step in the British politicians...3 years later, that vast pile of money still sits in a frozen account because the agreed use of it was unilaterally changed by the government, creating a deadlock. Scandalous. Oh...and the lack of renewal of his visa back in 2018, after the Skripal poisoning, meant that the £1 billion he was committing to invest in the UK to rebuild Chelsea's stadium never materialised.

Perhaps Abramovich was not quite the pariah, in league with Putin, that the press and politicians at the time would have us all too easily believe. Quietly, in a determined and prolonged fashion, he was actually working behind the scenes with no no fanfare or publicity, bringing Russia and Ukraine together as a trusted broker (yes, trusted by Ukraine) to negotiate a peace that alas was never agreed.

3 stars for a good book and story behind a miraculous sale in the circumstances. I am not at all sure that the Government would not have been prepared to see a successful British institution like Chelsea Football Club go to the wall. 5 stars for how the book got my hackles up!!

[Jack Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

CHELSEA

[Tyrone Atkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's no secret that I like horror fiction and I've read some chilling stuff in my time but few things are as scary as real stuff; becoming destitute, the passing of a loved one or... the closing down of your beloved football club. This was very much a near-reality for Chelsea F.C. back in 2022 when the U.K. government took financial action against the club's owner Roman Abramovitch because of his alleged links to Vladimir Putin who had just ordered Russia's invasion of Ukraine and this is all captured and recorded in Nick Purewal's Sanctioned (2025). A compelling examination of how big business, global politics and the beautiful game intertwine. We find out how the coaching staff managed, how the consortiums gathered to purchase and most intriguing, through actual interviews with the author, Abramavitch's actions through the process. As a fan of the club, it was a troubling time and was relieved when the Boehly/Clearlake takeover was finalised but revelations here about what seems to be Abramovitch's innocence with links to Putin, at that stage at least, as well as his documented efforts to peace talks and even surviving a poisoning attempt, only makes me angry at the government of the time. Oh, and then there is the portion of the sale that the government insisted goes to relief of the war's victims. It still sits in limbo thanks to our leaders. What a mess. A fascinating book about a very strange time. Long live the Blues.

[Filip Olšovský · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would start with a disclaimer that I am a Chelsea fan, but why bother? This must be one of the most pointless books I have ever read. It starts off great and promises a lot, but in the end, it's hard to even finish it. The few interesting new facts are repeated and twisted over and over in endless chapters that could have been three times shorter. Instead, they are stretched out like a school essay that needs to meet a certain word count. And when the author introduces the main characters of the story (Abramovich, Boehly), he settles for a naive picture that even the PR departments of both men would not be ashamed of. You don't have to hate Chelsea (you can even be a fan) to know that it can't be this simple and nice.

[Захарченко Віктор · Rating 5 out of 5]

Деякі бізнес-угоди змінюють правила гри назавжди. Продаж футбольного клубу Chelsea у 2022 році стала однією з них —не лише через рекордну суму в 4,25 мільярда фунтів, а через те, що вона поєднала у собі геополітичну кризу, санкції проти російського мільярдера, таємні мирні переговори та навіть підозру у отруєнні. Журналіст Nick Purewal у книзі "Sanctioned: The Inside Story of the Sale of Chelsea FC" розповідає, як за 95 днів відбулась одна з найскладніших спортивних трансакцій в історії —угода, яка зазвичай вимагала б дев'яти місяців, але була завершена під загрозою банкрутства клубу за чверть цього часу.

[Connor Rutherford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly fascinating look behind the curtain at what into the sale process and also what Roman was up to as it unfolded. Aside from some reservations about format from how the timeline was approached I can’t help but want more insight from those who were interviewed and more access to the thoughts and quiet conversations that must have occurred. Regardless of that wish list for infinite access I found it to be a must read for any Chelsea fan.

[Orion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched, highly detailed, but probably only interesting to fans of 2020s era chelsea. I did wonder more than once if Roman somehow financed this book... He is painted as an absolute angel in the flesh. For all of the research chops of this author, Roman's background is covered extremely lightly and there is no convincing argument that he was NOT the Putin-allied kleptocrat that he's accused of being. Regardless, a pretty interesting read.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Provides a decent and thorough account of the sale of Chelsea. Well-composed and the chapters flowed well as a narrative, although the chapters about the intricacies of the sanctions and deals were a bit of a drudge to get through. No one really comes across as the villain, perhaps only Jim Ratcliffe, but I found the ending to be a puff piece for Boehly-Clearlake.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-read for any Chelsea fan. I remember the events unfold on all the TV news outlets. The book gives a fantastic insight and brings to the fore facts many fans may be unawareoff. The author is a bit repetitive in places but that aside a great read.

[Liam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very excited to pick this up and educate myself on the whole Chelsea situation - yet found this to be completely repetitious, with not enough subject matter to justify the price spent or the time reading.

I first became intrigued in picking this up having heard an interview with Nick on TalkSport, and in hindsight looking bach, he'd essentially revealed the entire contents of the book in that one interview. So no real need to get this and find out anything new yourself after listening to that...

The rest of it was standard Chelsea history to try and fill out a few more pages. Despite being a huge Chelsea fan, I was hoping for less throwbacks on the sporting side and more insights into Abrahamovic's inner-thinking - which wasn't as prevalent as I'd hoped it might be.

I'm very sadly going to have to give this a 2 star - saved by the subject matter and clear resarch efforts that went into getting it. That's about as strong as this gets unfortunately!

[Bastian Lechermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight into both the sale of Chelsea FC and into Mr. Abromovic. A powerful story that shines some
light into the current conflict in Ukraine. „In the end, I have done what I have done simply to try to help“.

[Daniel Blackburn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Puff piece. Propaganda. Sports washing.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very okayish book. 4 stars only because I’m a chelsea fan since 20 years!

[Elliott Cramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. Can't believe I forgot so many of the details of the sale of Chelsea. As a Chelsea fan going through that period it feels like some sort of fever dream now.

[Brendan Crowley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a good book. good reporting but totally one sided and trying to prevent old ownership is best possible light