Chelsea close in on naming rights deal for Stamford Bridge in time for next season

Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay hopes to reveal a naming rights sponsor for Stamford Bridge before next season.
Gourlay made the announcement and also admitted the Blues needed to move to a bigger stadium if they are to fulfil their ambitions of being a European force.
Chelsea are currently exploring their options regarding their future headquarters after shareholders in the Chelsea Pitch Owners company last month rejected a proposal to buy back the land upon which Stamford Bridge is built.

Home: Chelsea have been at Stamford Bridge for over 100 years
That set back the club's hopes of moving away from a stadium Gourlay believes they have outgrown.
In the meantime the club are looking at extra revenue streams, including renaming the stadium they have called home for over a century, as they look to comply with UEFA's impending financial fair play rules.
'We hope to make an announcement on naming rights for Stamford Bridge within the next six to eight months,' Gourlay told the International Football Arena in Zurich.
'It would make a big step because we have to drive up the revenues.'
He added: 'We have outgrown our stadium and tried every way possible to extend capacity.

Closing in on a deal: Chelsea's Ron Gourlay
'We need a 60-65,000 stadium. We have the eighth biggest stadium in England and the 61st biggest in Europe.
'But when you look at the activity of stadiums planned for next few years, we will fall out of top 75 which can only be restrictive to the football club.
'In the meantime we continue on our conversations to see if there is any way at all to extend Stamford Bridge.'
Gourlay insisted it was imperative a solution was found but said no decision had yet been made as to whether a fresh vote would be called at next month's AGM.
'We have one of smallest stadiums in Europe,' he added. 'We have corporate hospitality that is second to none and 30,000 season ticket holders.
'But we have a stadium slightly larger than 40,000 which drops to 38,000 on Champions League nights. We have to find a solution.'
While last month's vote was viewed as a humiliating defeat for Blues owner Roman Abramovich in some quarters, Gourlay said he was determined to resolve the matter during upcoming talks.

Ambitions: Chelsea want to be playing in front of bigger crowds week in week out
'This is a time for reflection, to sit down with the owner and discuss the situation,' he added.
'We thought we made a very good proposal to the CPO shareholders. They decided on a 'no' vote.
'We got 62 per cent but it's time to discuss it with Roman and the board. We have been very transparent in terms of venues.'

Torres Akui Kesulitan Beradaptasi di Chelsea

London - Fernando Torres mengungkap mengapa hingga kini dia belum menunjukkan performa maksimal di Chelsea. Striker berjuluk El Nino mengakui lebih sulit beradaptasi di The Blues dibanding saat berseragam Liverpool.
Didatangkan dari Liverpool saat bursa transfer bulan Januari lalu, hingga kini Torres masih belum menunjukkan ketajamannya. Hal itu berbeda dengan saat diboyong ke Anfield dari Spanyol.
Saat masih berseragam The Reds, Torres berhasil mencetak 24 gol dari 33 penampilannya di musim pertamanya. Sedangkan di Chelsea, dari 14 penampilannya di separuh musim lalu ia hanya berhasil mencetak satu gol. Musim ini ketika Liga Inggris sudah memasuki pekan ke-11, Torres baru menghasilkan dua gol.
Mantan pemain Atletico Madrid ini lalu menyatakan bahwa ia merasa kesulitan untuk beradaptasi dengan kota London. Buatnya London sangat berbeda dengan Liverpool, yang menurutnya lebih nyaman. Keberadaan teman-teman senegaranya di Liverpool juga membantu pemain 27 tahun ini untuk menyesuaikan diri saat pertama kali ia datang ke Inggris.
"Mereka tidak punya kemiripan, baik di masa lalu mapun saat ini. Proses adaptasiku untuk masing-masing klub berbeda," ujar Torres pada Esquire Espana.
"Sulit untukku beradaptasi di sini jika dibandingkan ketika aku datang ke Liverpool, tempat yang lebih nyaman, lebih kecil, di mana aku dikelilingi oleh rekan-rekan dari Spanyol."
"Chelsea ada di London, sebuah kota besar. Aku datang dari Madrid, juga ibukota besar di Eropa, tapi segalanya lebih di sini, dalam hal yang baik maupun yang buruk," imbuhnya.
Pemilik nomor punggung 9 di Chelsea ini juga menolak berkomentar soal harganya yang begitu tinggi saat didatangkan dari Anfield. Baginya banderol 50 juta Poundsterling hanyalah angka. Yang ia lakukan saat ini hanyalah mencoba untuk beradaptasi secepat mungkin.
"Itu hanya angka. Satu-satunya hal yang aku tahu adalah kesempatan seperti yang ditawarkan Chelsea tidak bisa ditolak. Yang penting adalah kepercayaan yang mereka punya untukku."
"Pada akhirnya, hal terpenting adalah mencoba dan mengatur dirimu sendiri secepat mungkin. Itulah yang sedang aku lakukan," tukasnya.
Thanks for read