While the rest of the footballing world continued to look on and wonder, it was showtime yesterday at Chelsea where the first fruits of Roman Abramovich's millions were unveiled at a press conference which resembled a hectic day at the United Nations.

As Claudio Ranieri entered a packed function room in the club's own hotel ahead of his five new players, journalists from across Europe scampered for position while wrestling with recorders.

At the top table, Englishmen were definitely in a minority, and around the rest of the room it was touch and go, but one who was clearly enjoying the moment was Chelsea press officer Neil Barnett.

"We're pleased to introduce our first five summer signings," he beamed, before returning later to describe the most expensive of the lot, Damien Duff, as "our record signing . . . for this week".

Beside him, Duff sported his customary look of bemusement. Almost two weeks in football's fast lane and the 24-year-old still looks like one of those learner drivers who campaigns so hard to improve.

Duff, though, has a way with the press which England international Wayne Bridge, who answered questions a few minutes before him, could do with studying. While the Irishman appears no more interested in the gathering before him than the full back, he speaks enthusiastically now about a move he still maintains he never sought.

"I'd been hearing snippets all through the previous week," he said, "but I was all set to go on the pre-season tour to America with Blackburn. I mean, I was in the departure lounge when the gaffer (Graeme Souness) told me that they'd agreed a fee with Chelsea and I had 10 minutes to make up my mind about whether I travelled or not.

"The days since," says Duff, "have been like a dream, a whirlwind, and the first 10 days of actually being with the club have just been a bit of a blur."

Asked if he had called Brian Kerr for advice on the move, the Irish international laughed. "I think I rang every single person I knew. It was the biggest decision of my life and it took me a while to make up my mind, but in the end this was a challenge that you really couldn't turn down."

The next day Duff flew out to Malaysia where, he says, he spent "the whole time wrecked," because of jet lag. And things haven't improved much for the winger with the famous attachment to shut-eye.

Ranieri, perhaps driven on by the speculation that he will become the first managerial casualty of the season as soon as Abramovich can find a half decent reason to sack him, has been working his squad to an extent that would have seemed entirely inconceivable when even the likes of Andy Townsend and Tony Cascarino passed through this club a few years back.

"A 7.30 start tomorrow morning," chuckles Duff's advisor, Pat Devlin, "not much better today and they're heading out again as soon as this is out of the way."

The Italian's position is one of the main topics of interest to the English press, who repeatedly bring up the question of who it is at the club decided which players to buy.

He finally lets his irritation show when he announces: "I don't know. Maybe Eriksson. What do you think?"

Duff and the rest of the new players quietly look the other way. Someone else asks if Nigel Martyn will be next to arrive, and Ranieri replies that he expects there will be others but he doesn't want to discuss names. "If we start with Martyn the next thing we are talking about Vieri and then Ronaldo . . . it's all bullshit," he states.

Ranieri may be experiencing new levels of pressure of late but, he insists, he is certainly not complaining about the arrival of the Russian. And after a week in which Alex Ferguson said that Manchester United are taking a step back from the transfer market and Arsene Wenger conceded that there would be no more arrivals at Arsenal, the pair must marvel at what they could do with the resources suddenly available to the club now commonly referred to as Chelski.

The south Londoners, though, have been the subject of high expectations before and have generally reacted with only the most modest of achievements.

The scale of Abramovich's wealth suggests this time might be different, and if Ranieri can deliver the kind of football that is meant to the be the trademark of the club, they may yet win over neutrals.

If not, then the team's failure and possibly the club's disintegration will be one of the most closely watched sporting soaps of the next few years.