Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has faults... but Mike Ashley could learn
NEWCASTLE owner Mike Ashley could learn a thing or two from his Chelsea counterpart Roman Abramovich.
Mike Ashley: Sports Direct was paying under minimum wage
Those are the thoughts of The Times journalist Henry Winter.
Ashley has put Newcastle up for sale and Express Sport understands he wants to complete a deal by Christmas.
It is the second time he has put the club up for sale and he is desperate to sever his ties with the Magpies, whose supporters have made clear their feelings about the businessman.
Abramovich, conversely, is happy with life at Stamford Bridge and he has enjoyed a vast amount of success since he bought the Blues in 2003.
Mike Ashley wants to sell Newcastle
Roman Abramovich isn't always present at Chelsea games
Abramovich, for all his faults, you can see that he feels for Chelsea, he feels for the fortunes of the club
And Winter feels that Ashley should follow Abramovich’s lead into how to run a football club.
“All he’s got to do there is communicate with the fans, go to matches and show he is emotionally engaged with the football,” Winter told BBC Radio 5 live.
“Abramovich, for all his faults, you can see that he feels for Chelsea, he feels for the fortunes of the club - he actually cares about it.
“But you can have an emotional engagement as well as a financial investment for the club, they’re not mutually exclusive.”
Newcastle meanwhile, who are ninth in the table, drew 2-2 away to Southampton on Sunday.
They face Crystal Palace, who beat Chelsea 2-1 last weekend, next on Saturday (3pm).
Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?