Roman holiday over

Chelsea Football Club’s affair with Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich began in 2003 when he bought a controlling interest in the club. After years of mid-table finishes, the club had finished near the top for seven seasons, including three top-four results.

With the advent of Mr Romanovich and his largesse, Chelsea quickly climbed to the top, replacing Arsenal as the main rival for Alex Ferguson’s rampant Manchester United. In 2003-04, Chelsea finished second and won the title the next year. Since then, it has won the title four times, but has now slipped down the pecking order making way for Liverpool, managed