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Roman Abramovich on verge of latest Chelsea revamp
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Matt Hughes, Deputy Football Correspondent
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div#related-article-links p a, div#related-article-links p a:visited {color:#06c;} Carlo Ancelotti faces mounting pressure to win the Barclays Premier League this season after Chelsea’s Champions League exit to Inter Milan, but it is Roman Abramovich who is under most scrutiny.
On the evidence of Tuesday night, Chelsea are farther away than ever from winning the competition that the club’s Russian owner set his heart on when taking over at Stamford Bridge seven years ago, and only he can prevent a setback turning into an irretrievable slump. He has some big decisions to make.
Abramovich has demonstrated himself to be capable of extreme ruthlessness, particularly when dispensing with managers, but now it is time to get tough with his players. His aides let it be known yesterday that Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, retains the support of Abramovich, who is preparing for a fundamental restructuring of his squad in the summer. After going through six managers in as many years, Abramovich is ready to turn the heat on some of his long-serving players.
Chelsea have been aware for some time that an ageing squad was in need of reshaping at some stage and, in the aftermath of a humbling defeat, they are coming to the conclusion that the tipping point should come this summer.
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Ironically, given Ancelotti’s background and the success he enjoyed at San Siro, it is fear of the so-called “AC Milan syndrome” — where the ageing of a series of world-class players has led to terminal decline — that underpins the sudden desire for change in the Chelsea boardroom.
Such sweeping changes will not come cheap and will necessitate not only an alteration to the club’s business plan, but also an admission of mistakes. Chelsea have made significant strides towards the long-held goal of breaking even in recent years, reducing their losses from £140 million to £44 million in the space of five years, but a summer of spending would render such good housekeeping futile as well as shining a light on the failure of their expensive youth policy, which has yet to produce a single player for the first team in Abramovich’s time.
The Chelsea board has said privately for some time that even in the new era towards self-sufficiency, Abramovich will provide funds for one-off purchases — so-called marquee players — but, given the profile of much of the existing squad, the situation may already be beyond the most expensive tinkering.
Of Ancelotti’s usual starting XI, only the 26-year-old Branislav Ivanovic has yet to enter his late twenties, with half of them over 30. In this context, even the signing of a genuine superstar such as Fernando Torres or Franck Ribéry — highly unlikely in any case — would do little more than paper over the cracks. A complete overhaul is required.
Chelsea’s position is that they do not want to return to the days when they spent £110 million in a few weeks, in 2003, but they will invest significantly if they deem it to be necessary, with the final call being made by Abramovich.
Whatever his level of spending, Abramovich is determined to take a firmer line with players who have developed a strong influence, mainly as a result of their longevity in contrast with the short shelf lives of their managers. Abramovich has often been a remarkably soft touch in contract negotiations, empowering his executives to give Chelsea’s leading players precisely what they want. The form and behaviour of John Terry since he was awarded a £160,000-a-week contract last summer suggests that such an approach has its dangers.
Joe Cole will be the first to pay the price for a new attitude because the club are determined not to cave in to his wage demands. The England midfield player is likely to be followed out of the door by Deco, Paulo Ferreira, Hilário and even Ricardo Carvalho.
Such an approach would also benefit Ancelotti, who needs to take control of the dressing room and assert himself more among a squad clearly still in awe of José Mourinho, the former manager, who led Inter to victory on Tuesday.
</IMG> Click to download the image above as a full-sized PDF file
Matt Hughes, Deputy Football Correspondent
gSiteLife.Recommend("ExternalResource", "7066151","http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/chelsea/article7066151.ece");Recommend? (23)
div#related-article-links p a, div#related-article-links p a:visited {color:#06c;} Carlo Ancelotti faces mounting pressure to win the Barclays Premier League this season after Chelsea’s Champions League exit to Inter Milan, but it is Roman Abramovich who is under most scrutiny.
On the evidence of Tuesday night, Chelsea are farther away than ever from winning the competition that the club’s Russian owner set his heart on when taking over at Stamford Bridge seven years ago, and only he can prevent a setback turning into an irretrievable slump. He has some big decisions to make.
Abramovich has demonstrated himself to be capable of extreme ruthlessness, particularly when dispensing with managers, but now it is time to get tough with his players. His aides let it be known yesterday that Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, retains the support of Abramovich, who is preparing for a fundamental restructuring of his squad in the summer. After going through six managers in as many years, Abramovich is ready to turn the heat on some of his long-serving players.
Chelsea have been aware for some time that an ageing squad was in need of reshaping at some stage and, in the aftermath of a humbling defeat, they are coming to the conclusion that the tipping point should come this summer.
function slideshowPopUp(url){pictureGalleryPopupPic(url);re turn false;}Related Links
Multimedia
Ironically, given Ancelotti’s background and the success he enjoyed at San Siro, it is fear of the so-called “AC Milan syndrome” — where the ageing of a series of world-class players has led to terminal decline — that underpins the sudden desire for change in the Chelsea boardroom.
Such sweeping changes will not come cheap and will necessitate not only an alteration to the club’s business plan, but also an admission of mistakes. Chelsea have made significant strides towards the long-held goal of breaking even in recent years, reducing their losses from £140 million to £44 million in the space of five years, but a summer of spending would render such good housekeeping futile as well as shining a light on the failure of their expensive youth policy, which has yet to produce a single player for the first team in Abramovich’s time.
The Chelsea board has said privately for some time that even in the new era towards self-sufficiency, Abramovich will provide funds for one-off purchases — so-called marquee players — but, given the profile of much of the existing squad, the situation may already be beyond the most expensive tinkering.
Of Ancelotti’s usual starting XI, only the 26-year-old Branislav Ivanovic has yet to enter his late twenties, with half of them over 30. In this context, even the signing of a genuine superstar such as Fernando Torres or Franck Ribéry — highly unlikely in any case — would do little more than paper over the cracks. A complete overhaul is required.
Chelsea’s position is that they do not want to return to the days when they spent £110 million in a few weeks, in 2003, but they will invest significantly if they deem it to be necessary, with the final call being made by Abramovich.
Whatever his level of spending, Abramovich is determined to take a firmer line with players who have developed a strong influence, mainly as a result of their longevity in contrast with the short shelf lives of their managers. Abramovich has often been a remarkably soft touch in contract negotiations, empowering his executives to give Chelsea’s leading players precisely what they want. The form and behaviour of John Terry since he was awarded a £160,000-a-week contract last summer suggests that such an approach has its dangers.
Joe Cole will be the first to pay the price for a new attitude because the club are determined not to cave in to his wage demands. The England midfield player is likely to be followed out of the door by Deco, Paulo Ferreira, Hilário and even Ricardo Carvalho.
Such an approach would also benefit Ancelotti, who needs to take control of the dressing room and assert himself more among a squad clearly still in awe of José Mourinho, the former manager, who led Inter to victory on Tuesday.
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