Ranieri: Keep on buying

Despite spending £37million already this summer, Claudio Ranieri today insisted Chelsea need more players.

The Italian has been charged with turning the club into one of Europe's elite and claims he is not worried how much it costs.

New owner Roman Abramovich has already demonstrated Chelsea's spending power by bankrolling the purchases of Damien Duff, Wayne Bridge, Glen Johnson and Geremi.

Speaking in Malaysia, where Chelsea are preparing for the Premier League Asia Cup, Ranieri said: "I am used to not spending much money but now that has changed. For me, it is very important to pick up the best players.

"We have very good players but of course we need something more to compete with the top teams like Manchester United, Arsenal, Juventus and Real Madrid.

"When I made the list I just put the names. I am not the manager I am a coach. For me signing the right players is more important than the cost. Of course the 'big champions' cost a lot. I think if my players want to win something there must be good competition for places. There are a lot of competitions in England and we are playing every three days. The players have to be ready to play whenever they are asked. All the major teams have 23 or 24 'big champions'."