Roman Abramovich's true feelings on being forced to sell Chelsea revealed amid former owner's new life 'in exile'

A former Chelsea player has discussed Roman Abramovich's true feelings towards the Premier League club after he spoke to people who are "close" to the Russian billionaire.

After purchasing Chelsea from previous owner Ken Bates in 2003 for £140 million, Abramovich was forced to part ways with the club in May 2022.

He was sanctioned by the British Government as part of its response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and a short time later, the politician sold Chelsea to a consortium co-led by Todd Boehly for £4.25 billion.

A spokesperson for Abramovich said that the funds from the sale – which would be frozen due to the loan being subject to EU sanctions – would be 'earmarked for [a charitable] Foundation'."

More than two years later and Abramovich is "still angry" about what happened at Chelsea, according to former midfielder John Obi-Mikel.

Speaking on his Obi One podcast, the 37-year-old gave an insight into the Russian billionaire's frame of mind.

“It’s just unfortunate what happened; he lost the football club," said Mikel, who played for Chelsea between 2006 and 2017. "I still speak to people close to him and it still pains him. He’s still angry about what happened."

Mikel added: “He’s not happy that he lost his ‘baby’ because Chelsea Football Club was his football club. He really cared about the football club, not just the players but the fans.”

The former Nigeria international went on to praise Abramovich as he criticised the current ownership.

"I don't know too much about these American owners, they call it football or soccer? Anyone who calls football 'soccer' I don’t want to talk to you because you clearly have no knowledge on the game," he said.

"No but Roman was absolutely fantastic. Listen, the guy spent so much money building the football club, bringing the best, always making sure we remained at the top. Every year we'd be competing, winning trophies. And even if we didn’t win, the next year we have to win one or two trophies."

Mikel added:"For us, Roman was the guy."

Abramovich owned Chelsea for 19 years until he was sanctioned by the British government. Image credit: Getty

He added, as per TalkChelsea: “I’ve met the owners a couple times, and when they call football 'soccer' I dunno, it puts me off mate.

"They have spent a lot of money but it's not just about throwing money around, they need to understand the culture, the heritage, they are not there yet. I hope we get back to where we belong.”

A report from The Athletic suggests Abramovich has spent his life between Sochi, Istanbul and Tel Aviv since relinquishing control of Chelsea. He also 'rarely' keeps up with football'.