How Red Ken became Blue Peter

Just after lunch news reached the Standard of the amazing developments and it was only when we informed United we were about to break the news that an emergency board meeting was called to be told of Kenyon's actions and to ratify it.

The question most people are asking today is, why leave the world's biggest football club for a smaller rival, albeit one with huge potential thanks to Abramovich's billions?

A doubling of one's salary to over £ 1million is as good as reason as any, even for a man who claimed he was a "dyed-in-the-wool red". But scratch the surface and there are numerous connections that begin to make sense of the dagger to United's heart delivered yesterday.

What is without doubt is the resounding message to world football, if one was needed, that no one is beyond the reach of Abramovich.

And the ruthlessness with which he acted towards Birch, the man who effectively brought him into Stamford Bridge and saved the club in the process, is a stunning example to manager Claudio Ranieri that he must produce results this season.

The central connection point in all this is Zahavi. The Israeli uberagent's advice is sought on every football issue at Chelsea. And if Abramovich has a long-term strategy to develop Chelsea into a worldwide brand, tapping previously barren markets such as the United States and the former Soviet Union, then Zahavi would have told him there was no one better than "my friend Peter", who has masterminded the United's Far East strategy, brokered the £300m-plus deal with Nike, the ground-breaking partnership with the New York Yankees and is known to every top person in the game.

One senior football source who was aware of all yesterday's moves said: "It's all Pini. There could well be a strategy there to develop the brand but it's much simpler than that. Pini would be asked who is the best man and he wants his men in at as many big clubs possible.

"He's still well connected at United, but why not have his own man as Chelsea's chief executive as well?"

Zahavi is also the connection to Sven-Goran Eriksson, who was so naively seen walking in to see Abramovich only six days after the takeover and a few days apart from the Israeli's clandestine meeting in Park Lane with Kenyon.

It is the worst-kept secret in football that Abramovich wants the England coach and it was the former United chief executive who courted Eriksson for Old Trafford 18 months ago before the Swede got cold feet and Sir Alex Ferguson u-turned on his retirement.

Add to that the fact Kenyon sold Juan Veron to Chelsea, a deal Zahavi brokered, his role as the former head of Umbro, the Blues' kit supplier, and the fact that Abramovich, when he was perusing clubs, had a meeting with Kenyon at United's match with Real Madrid last year that persuaded him to buy into English football and there seems to be no end of pathways to Stamford Bridge.

But there has to be something more and for that you must look at United.

The 48-year-old highly ambitious chief executive was said to have been frustrated by United's plc status. He will find the freedom at Chelsea, backed by Abramovich's no nonsense style and chequebook, liberating.

And as United's most senior executive, what was left for him? There have been constant rumours of a takeover led by the Irish duo of John Magnier and JP McManus who own 11 per cent of the club, or a possible management buy-out led by Kenyon with the help of influential United supporters in the City.

The Irish duo were reportedly unhappy with the purchase of Rio Ferdinand at £30m when the transfer market collapsed weeks later and the failure to land targets Harry Kewell and Ronaldinho plus the sale of David Beckham for just £23m before Abramovich revitalised the market.

Kenyon would have been aware of this sniping, whether real or imagined. He would have looked at United's share structure and seen the Irish duo were unlikely to sell for anything other than a massive premium, as well as the potentially damaging rift that was developing between Ferguson and Magnier over the horse, Rock of Gibraltar.

Then there was the fractured nature of United's share structure of several significant holders which would make an MBO difficult. All this would have weighed on Kenyon's mind when considering his future.

One factor that has been overstated is the deterioration of his relationship with Ferguson. With a fiery character like the Scot there will always be differences and while Fergie may not have been happy over Ronaldinho or Kewell, the two had a perfectly adequate working relationship. People forget it was Kenyon who gave him a new contract 18 months ago at a reported £4.5m a year.

Whatever the reasons, maybe the final word should be left to the man-of-the-moment himself who said just after the Chelsea takeover: "The Chelsea situation is quite unique.

"The transfer market is very flat but clearly the deals that have been done within England will be circulating around the market again which is positive for the game in this country."

"All you can say is what has happened there will see them continue to get stronger."