Roman Abramovich means business. His personal involvement in the recruitment of Fernando Torres and David Luiz was evidence of a renewed commitment to Chelsea on the part of its Russian owner.
From the outside the investment of £75 million in two players as the club was announcing £70.9 million losses in their annual accounts appeared a breathtaking contradiction to the club’s previous pronouncements about trying to break even. It seemed a careless defiance of Uefa’s Financial Fair Play rules, which begin to come in to effect from next season.