Chelsea Warned Spending Won't Be Roman Abramovich Levels Under New Owner

Chelsea fans have been warned that the lavish transfer spending by Roman Abramovich won't be continuing under their new owner.

Under Abramovich, Chelsea went from occasional top four contenders to one of the biggest and best clubs in the world, through nearly 20 years of high spending.

The Blues have had almost unlimited spending power at times under the Russian oligarch, regularly spending hundreds of millions in the transfer market.

Abramovich's tenure at Stamford Bridge is coming to an end, with the club expected to be sold to American Todd Boehly in the near future, having been chosen as the preferred bidder.

The LA Dodgers co-owner is a billionaire in his own right but, according to one financial expert, the 46-year-old won't be splashing the cash in the same way his soon to be predecessor has.

"Look, everyone is a downgrade from Roman," sports business analyst Darren Rovell told the Sun.

"Boehly is not the billionaire that Roman was so I think if Chelsea fans got used to literally going after everyone and money not being any object - I don't expect that to be the case with the Boehly team.

Boehly, middle, enjoys his first game at Stamford Bridge. Image: PA Images

"You got a Russian oligarch who could spend as much as he wanted. I think money is going to be more strained because against the background of what Roman Abramovich could spend, they are not going to be spending as much.

"I think everyone is a downgrade from Roman. It's difficult to upgrade from Roman Abramovich because the cash is there."

Boehly got his first viewing of what will soon be his on Saturday, when he was in attendance during Thomas Tuchel's side's draw with Wolves.

Romelu Lukaku, who the Blues spent over £100 million for last summer, ended his long goal drought with two goals, to put his side ahead.

However Bruno Lage's team hit back through goals from Francisco Trincao and an injury time equaliser from Conor Coady, to raise questions about the West London team's chances of qualifying for the Champions League next season.

Lukaku celebrates ending his barren spell. Image: PA Images

With three games left of the season, the European champions are just one point clear of fourth place Arsenal and five clear of Tottenham Hotspur in fifth, they should still be safe but there is pressure in the final three games.

Failure to qualify would be a huge blow to Boehly, and knock the club's spending power more, but overall Rovell thinks the new owner will be a good thing.

"Fans should expect someone the quieter side that has the wherewithal to spend, that has shown a record to win, has shown a record to delegate to the right people. I think overall it is a net positive," the analyst added.

One thing that will almost certainly require some of the new owner's money is the defence, with the Blues likely losing Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen in the summer.

They have previously sold several defenders in the last year as well, certainly asking questions of the recent transfer strategy at Stamford Bridge.