I know what you’re thinking: that pun is just taking it too far.
You’re right. It is. But there’s more at play here than a contrived attempt at punnery, and with these words, I’d like to tell you how.
It was never going to be easy after Roman
It’s not just the nature in which the Roman Abramovich era came to end at Stamford Bridge. The longevity of the era, and the success it brought, inevitably made it a hard act to follow. Chelsea’s Premier League competitors Man United and Arsenal have first-hand experience of what happens in such cases, the former in particular having demonstrated how spectacular and quick your drift into oblivion can be if you fail to act prudently despite having enough of a financial might.
Abramovich may yet have a belated parting gift for Chelsea’s new overlords as well, for reports emerged earlier this season about the Russian oligarch having engaged in financial doping over the years to further bolster the Blues’ financial capabilities.