Richard Buxton: Roman Abramovich’s Chelski on a shopping spree again

Costly prospective arrivals will put pressure on Lampard to deliver immediately

Columnist

Jun 12, 2020 06:00 am

Money can't buy Chelsea love, but Roman Abramovich remains hell-bent on splashing the cash.

Stamford Bridge is the ultimate billionaire's playground as the Russian oligarch handpicks players from across Europe's talent spectrum at will, whether his manager likes it or not.

As clubs prepare to tighten their belts to cope with the post-coronavirus world, Abramovich continues to let it all hang out.

In west London, the streets are seemingly still paved with gold.

The initial £89 million (S$157m) banked from Eden Hazard's move to Real Madrid barely 12 months ago is already being spent with Ajax Amsterdam winger Hakim Ziyech enlisted for the Blues' new revolution and Timo Werner, RB Leipzig's free-scoring marksman, joining him imminently.

Others promise to follow in the weeks and months ahead with each day bringing a fresh litany of targets. Kai Havertz, Declan Rice, Gerson and Ben Chilwell are the names currently widely touted for summer switches to the English capital's current hotbed of spending.

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Frank Lampard may want for nothing with the expected influx of players set to strengthen his club's hopes of recapturing the English Premier League title and assorted major honours next season.

If his paymaster has anything to do with it, he may also receive more than he actually bargained for. All apart from the homegrown duo of Rice and Chilwell carry a distinct whiff of Abramovich's ideology.

His penchant for signing players on reputation over reality is well-documented.

Driven by Lampard's appointment, this season was supposed to constitute Chelsea's shift away from those previous missteps. Youth prospects were due to be handed the spotlight, instead of continuing to play second fiddle to more big names parachuted in on eye-watering price tags. So much for that brave new world.

Abramovich famously did not speak with Lampard before last summer's homecoming. He should have known to expect nothing less after 11 years under Chelsea's owner as a player.

Lampard will, however, need to get used to transfer decisions being taken out of his hands.

His predecessor Maurizio Sarri made no secret of personal frustration that Christian Pulisic's £58m transfer from Borussia Dortmund in January 2019 had been sanctioned without his input.

The Italian was not allowed to stick around long enough to utilise the American's qualities.

Other former Chelsea managers were forced to shoehorn marquee signings that failed to fit seamlessly into their respective blueprints for success to catastrophic effect.

Both Andriy Shevchenko and Fernando Torres moved to London when their respective careers had become faded glories. The cumulative £80.8m gamble on two players previously regarded as Europe's foremost lethal strikers backfired spectacularly.

Others destined for stardom were similarly chewed up and spat out by the endless churn of Abramovich's money machine.

Kevin de Bruyne arrived with all the attributes to elevate him to the EPL's new poster boy, yet had to join Manchester City in order to realise that potential.

Chelsea's latest raft of prospective arrivals will see skyrocketing valuations go hand in hand with heightened expectations for Lampard to deliver major success almost instantaneously.

Such demands are unrealistic with a side which will be in the throes of widespread upheaval.

The ex-England international's strength of personality earned him a dream job in management. Reluctantly, he will need to allow Abramovich to continue paying the price rather than himself.