Abramovich armoured against any downturn

The hub of Roman Abramovich's financial empire is Sibneft, a sprawling oil company with a current market value of $14billion (£7.4bn). Abramovich is thought to own around 40 per cent and he regularly draws $1bn a year in dividend cheques alone.

A host of international energy giants would love to get their hands on Sibneft if ever Chelsea's owner wanted to sell up, which, according to his entourage, he has no intention of doing.

The Abramovich portfolio is also believed to include retail chain NTA, a dairy operation Unimilk and Omsky Bekon, a meat-packing business labelled as Siberia's biggest pork processor.

Abramovich has slimmed down his Russian interests significantly since taking over at Stamford Bridge, adding fuel to the argument that he is moving his money out of the former Soviet Union.

Included in the billionaire's version of Sale of the Century were a stake in airline Aeroflot and a shareholding in carmaker GAZ. He made an estimated $4bn by selling half of RusAl, the world's second largest maker of aluminium.

Having raised so much money it is clear that Chelsea's expected losses will barely dent his vast wealth.