Chelsea's Fab Four

What is essential now, though, is that Ranieri takes control of the reins and begins the process of building a team to challenge the best in the Champions League and the Premiership. Tonight Chelsea face Eriksson's old team Lazio, in Rome, and then fly to sultry Kuala Lumpur for a tournament next weekend. They face a Malaysian Xl next Friday and either Newcastle or Birmingham on Sunday week. Ideally, Ranieri would like all of his new players available, but that's unlikely.

It's only a fortnight, for instance, since Geremi was playing for Cameroon in the Confederations Cup and he clearly needs more rest before joining Chelsea's pre-season training programme.

Signed from Real Madrid for £7 million, his loan season with Middlesbrough introduced him to the physical demands of the Premiership.

He can play on the right but is more likely to challenge Emmanuel Petit for the place alongside Frank Lampard in the heart of Chelsea's midfield. Lampard has flourished at Chelsea and was one of Ranieri's most effective players last season. It would be a surprise if he was left out of the starting line-up.

Equally, it would be mystifying if Mario Melchiot was sacrificed for Glen Johnson, the outstanding young rightback signed from West Ham. Johnson, 18, is a player with enormous potential but, after just 14 Premiership games, would be unlikely to start in the big Champions League fixtures.

Wayne Bridge, after 12 games for England, is more experienced and could quickly edge ahead of Graeme Le Saux and Celestine Babayaro on the left side of the defence if he completes his proposed £8m move from Southampton.

Damien Duff, of course, would expect a place in the starting line-up if he finalises his £17m move from Blackburn, either on the left of midfield or supporting one of the main strikers.

But much will depend on whether Ranieri retains his favoured 4-4-2 or switches to the diamond formation that Eriksson flirted with last season. This line-up would probably involve playing Geremi and Duff on the flanks of the diamond with Lampard as the cutting edge.

He could of course fill the role in front of the back four, though a specialist tackler would be a better option.

With Abramovich and his representatives scouring Europe other options are bound to emerge before the new seasons starts.

They have, for instance, still to clinch one of the blue-chip options such as Edgar Davids, Christian Vieri or Thierry Henry.

But, whatever the final make-up of his squad, it will be Ranieri's task to translate this frenzy of transfer activity into sustainable reality on the field of play. And he has to do it quickly.

It may only be a hobby for Mr Abramovich, but he is not used to finishing second.