Chelsea wage bill hits £73m

John Terry, Eidur Gudjohnsen and William Gallas, meanwhile, all received major pay rises in contract extensions signed after Abramovich took over, reflecting their rise in status since their previous deals.

Even allowing for the exit of players such as Mark Bosnich and Gianfranco Zola in recent months, this means Chelsea's wage bill will rise by at least £12m - this figure is likely to increase if they secure another signing - compared to this time last year, soaring above the totals for the three clubs who previously spent more than them.

Manchester United have shed Veron and David Beckham this summer and are yet to splash out on major high-profile replacements. Though the acquisition of Rio Ferdinand will have taken their total well above the Deloitte and Touche figure of £69.9m for 2001-02 last year, the departure of two major stars will bring the total back beneath £70m. Arsenal have only brought in defender Philippe Senderos and goalkeeper Jens Lehmann for the new season and have put off renegotiating the contracts of players such as Robert Pires and Patrick Vieira so as to avoid paying any increase during the summer, while there is less money coming in.

Only Liverpool, who spent extensively last year as well as adding Harry Kewell, Steve Finnan and two French teenagers this summer, are still increasing their expenditure. But their lead was barely £100,000 two seasons ago and they cannot compete with Chelsea now, as exemplified by their failure to find the funds to match Blackburn's price for Duff.

Chelsea may be moving ahead of their rivals in terms of pay, but they are well behind in one vital area: their training facilities.

While Manchester United have the hi-tech Carrington complex and Arsenal have wonderful facilities at London Colney, Chelsea still train in Harlington, on pitches owned by Imperial College, next to the M4 near Heathrow Airport.

While these may be good by university standards, they pale behind most in the Premiership who have custom-built centres.

The matter has not escaped Abramovich's attention. Speaking from his governor's base in Chukotka, he said: "I met the players once during training and we agree on the necessity of building a new training ground."

The club are believed to be looking at several options for a training centre. In addition, there is a belief that the quality of the Stamford Bridge surface detracts from the ability of a footballing side to turn on the style.

Last season the pitch was replaced after it had deteriorated to a melange of mud and sand, but the new one was also unsatisfactory and in February Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink complained: "The other pitch was terrible because there was no grass on it, but at least it was flat. Now there is grass on it but it's not flat."

Having assembled a team of thoroughbreds, Abramovich will want to give them the quality of turf that they deserve.