The Roman Abramovich era is moving slowly towards its 20th anniversary, but the Russian billionaire’s hunger for success seems just as great now as it was when he bought Chelsea in the summer of 2003.
There were fears that visa issues and growing diplomatic tension between the UK and Russia could dampen his enthusiasm for the Chelsea project, but that does not appear to be the case.
A transfer ban meant the Blues had a quiet window last summer, so it was surprising that they also opted against adding new faces in January.
However, they’ve since made some bold moves in the market, signing both Hakim Ziyech (£33.6m) and Timo Werner (£47.5m) for next season, and with the promise of more high-profile deals to come.
Both Kai Havertz and Ben Chilwell are now in their sights, so how is the summer transfer window of 2020 likely to compare with the most lavish of the Abramovich era?
We’ve taken a look at past windows and their impact on Chelsea’s subsequent fortunes...
2003/04
The first summer of the Abramovich era was a memorable one as the club spent £111m on the likes of Claude Makelele, Scott Parker, Hernan Crespo, Adrian Mutu, Damien Duff and Wayne Bridge.
They finished the subsequent Premier League campaign in second place under Claudio Ranieri, but they also laid down the foundation of Jose Mourinho’s title-winning side the following season. Despite not claiming a trophy, it was a positive season for the club overall, with a Champions League semi-final another highlight of the campaign.
2004/05
It was a similar story the following summer as new boss Mourinho sought to add new faces to the squad. Once again, the club phased out some older faces and replaced them with the likes of Arjen Robben, Didier Drogba, Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira and Petr Cech.
This time the club’s spending topped out at £94m, but it drove the club towards their first-ever Premier League title, a League Cup success and another semi-final appearance in the Champions League. It was this campaign that marked Chelsea out as one of the Premier League’s biggest sides.
2010/11
Chelsea’s spending dipped for some time before a sharp increase in 2010/11, especially during the January window.
A quiet summer saw Ramires as the club’s marquee arrival, but that was blown out of the water when Chelsea signed David Luiz and Fernando Torres in January for a combined £71.3m. In total, that took the club’s spending to £101m.
The Blues finished the season without a trophy, but did manage to secure second in the Premier League. That’s in stark contrast to the following season when they won the FA Cup and the Champions League.
2013/14
A third-place finish saw the club aggressively active in the transfer market. Willian arrived from Anzhi for £30m alongside veteran team-mate Samuel Eto’o, while Andre Schurrle joined the club from Bayer Leverkusen.
In an interesting parallel to the 2010/11 season, Chelsea ramped up their rebuilding efforts in the following January. Five players joined the club during the first month of 2014, including Mo Salah, Kurt Zouma, Nemanja Matic, Mario Pasalic and Bertrand Traore, taking the club’s total spending to £108m.
But in terms of success on the pitch, this was a disappointing year for Chelsea. A third-place finish in the Premier League was capped by another Champions League semi-final exit and no success in the domestic cups… although it did see the return of Jose Mourinho.
2014/15
Mourinho’s response to a tough season was to venture into the transfer market. As a result, Chelsea spent just under £109m, with Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa their marquee arrivals.
The January window also saw a new face when Juan Cuadrado was signed from Fiorentina. The spend was justified when the club won a Premier League and League Cup double, but things would turn sour the following season with a 10th-placed finish and the end of Mourinho’s second spell in charge.
2016/17
An ambitious owner like Abramovich was never likely to be pleased with 10th place, and he responded accordingly.
Chelsea backed Antonio Conte with over £100m, re-signing David Luiz and adding N’Golo Kante, Michy Batshuayi and Marcos Alonso. That took their spending for the summer to £118m. As is the trend, it was followed by success as Conte’s team won the Premier League that season and finished runners-up in the FA Cup.
2017/18
In a rare departure from form, Chelsea’s big spending this summer was not matched by a Premier League title. The club’s business was offset by the £50m departure of Diego Costa, but that didn’t stop them from spending £202m in the market.
Danny Drinkwater joined the club for £35m, while Tiemoue Bakayaoko was a £40m recruit from Monaco. Antonio Rudiger was a £29m signing, and Conte opted to take another defender from Serie A in Davide Zappacosta for £23m. However, the marquee arrival was Alvaro Morata, who cost the club an impressive £58m when he moved from Real Madrid.
The fruits of that frenzied transfer activity was an FA Cup success, but any joy was offset by the fact the club finished 5th in the title race and missed out on Champions League football. As a result, Conte was shown the door.
2018/19
The dawn of the Maurizio Sarri era saw another big-spending summer at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea broke their transfer record to sign goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga for £71.6m from Athletic Bilbao. There was also a deal for Jorginho, the £51m Napoli midfielder who was seen as central to implementing Sarri’s preferred style at Stamford Bridge.
The January window once again proved busy for the club as they signed Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund, with the US international officially due at the club the following summer. The deal took Chelsea’s spending to £190m and coincided with Sarri’s only trophy, the Europa League.
