Chelsea's new owner Roman Abramovich has assured Claudio Ranieri he will not be ousted before the new season begins. The Italian can also expect to avail himself of the biggest purse in football provided Chelsea begin their tilt for a first title since 1955 in convincing fashion.
"Ranieri will start the season as manager," said a source close to Abramovich. "Before he was saying there was no money, that he was short of funds. Now he will get everything and he just has to deliver."
Ranieri confessed last week that he considered his future uncertain after the arrival at the club of the Russian billionaire. The bookmaker William Hill stopped taking bets on him getting the sack on Friday. However, Abramovich recognises Ranieri's achievement in steering Chelsea to Champions League qualification on a transfer budget ofonly £500,000 last season and will offer him extensive resources.
Nonetheless, Ranieri's first task is to convince Abramovich of his pulling power. Though he will give the manager his head, the Russian wants a roster at Stamford Bridge to rival Real Madrid's.
Abramovich would ideally like to lure Sir Alex Ferguson to Chelsea, and Marcello Lippi, who may move abroad if his contract at Juventus is not extended beyond next season, would also be in the running to take over at Stamford Bridge.
Neither Ferguson nor Lippi would have difficulty in persuading football's finest to play under them and it is up to Ranieri to prove that he holds a similar attraction.
"Mr Abramovich wants to build the best team in the world. He is in the market for the best players in the world," added the source.
Lippi stands in the way of Ranieri's attempt to procure one of his principal transfer targets. Chelsea have been linked with a £5m bid for Edgar Davids, who has only 12 months to run on his Juventus contract. Lippi is keen to hang on to the Dutchman and Chelsea would need to improve their offer. Davids would also expect to earn more than £50,000 a week after tax.
Abramovich's enthusiasm for sanctioning a fees-and-wages package totalling £20m for a 30-year-old who will be a free agent in a year's time remains to be seen.
Abramovich considers Thierry Henry to be the world's leading striker but the Frenchman is not ready to quit Highbury. Chelsea have instead earmarked Barcelona's Patrick Kluivert, whose mooted transfer to Stamford Bridge may move a step closer today. Kluivert's agent Sigi Lens will meet officials at the Camp Nou this morning and if the two sides fail to agree terms on a new wage package Chelsea will make a £1.5m approach.
