Lollichon, who worked at Chelsea during Abramovich’s ownership, recounted the conversation in an interview with Ouest-France. He said the Russian businessman summoned him to his office at the club’s training ground and asked for his assessment of Nantes.
“One day, when I was at Chelsea, Roman Abramovich had me called into his office at the training ground. He said to me: ‘Tell me about FC Nantes. What is that club like?’”
Lollichon explained that Abramovich was looking for another club to acquire, one that could potentially support Chelsea’s wider sporting project.
“He was looking for a club to buy that could potentially be a satellite club, but which had a structure and a playing model. The problem was that, at that time, there was no longer a playing model. On the other hand, I knew all the people who could have been responsible for that, and I alerted them.”
Abramovich was apparently prepared to move quickly to bring the right people into the project.
“He said to me: ‘Don’t worry, we’ll send planes to pick them up.’”
The idea did not progress. Lollichon said Abramovich called him back around two months later and explained that Nantes might be too large for the role he had envisaged.
“He said: ‘I think this club is too big for what we want to do.’”
The revelation offers a glimpse into Abramovich’s ambitions beyond Stamford Bridge. During his ownership from 2003 to 2022, Chelsea won two Champions League titles, two Europa League crowns, two UEFA Super Cups, five Premier League titles and five FA Cups.
A satellite-club arrangement with Nantes could have created a different pathway for player development and recruitment, although Lollichon’s account suggests the proposal was exploratory rather than a completed transaction.
Abramovich was forced to sell Chelsea in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions imposed by the British government because of his links to the Russian state.
Nantes ultimately remained outside Chelsea’s ownership structure. Lollichon’s account does not establish that a formal offer was made, but it reveals that the French club was considered as a possible part of Abramovich’s wider football plans.