English FA Premiership:With a visit to Old Trafford looming on Sunday, Chelsea chose yesterday to remind Manchester United of their determination to usurp them in being recognised as the world's leading club. Peter Kenyon broke into a knowing laugh when asked whether United represented the past and Chelsea the future, with the chief executive saying: "I am not going to support that headline." But it is a vision the Stamford Bridge hierarchy would like to see become reality.
Kenyon reiterated Chelsea's desire to be "internationally recognised as the world's number one football club by 2014" but was realistic about the distance still to be travelled. Although he referred to Chelsea as "more dynamic" than United as a club and brand, he said that was not a criticism but largely a reflection of the London club trying to catch up. The former Old Trafford employee knows it will take more than Chelsea's Premiership titles of the past two seasons to surpass one of England's traditional powers.
"We certainly haven't overtaken Manchester United," he said. "Their fan base is bigger than ours, their historical success is bigger than ours. There's no question we are sat here saying we have overtaken them. I think what we're pleased about is (that) the growth of our fanbase is quicker than other football clubs, our revenue has grown dramatically and is now on a par with Manchester United."
More trophies will be a key part of the equation by which Chelsea intend to determine whether they have become the world's premier club. "It will be by revenue, by profitability, about looking back over 10 years and hopefully, saying: the number of Premiership wins, the number of European Cup wins, the number of FA Cup wins," Kenyon said. "We carry out independent research now on fan bases and the relativity of Real Madrid versus Manchester United versus Milan versus Chelsea. It will be all those measures. I think it's a vision that has captured the interest of the owner (Roman Abramovich)."
A European Cup win is missing from Chelsea's honours and Kenyon acknowledge the importance of changing that. "Not at the expense of the Premiership," he emphasised, "but equally, I think the biggest statement any European club can make is to win the European Cup." He noted how United's heritage and success set a benchmark and dwarfed Chelsea's experiences. He described the Chelsea he joined as "a fairly soulless place so it was about starting again".
Kenyon, who ruled out a move for David Beckham if the former England captain leaves Real Madrid, said Chelsea were on track to break even by their target date of 2009. A greater stadium capacity would generate more revenue and the club, who would like a 55,000-seat stadium, look increasingly likely to pursue a move from their current ground.
"It's got to be within this area but that's what gives us the problem," Kenyon said.
Guardian Service
