With Chelsea frustrated in the current transfer window – thanks in large part to Barcelona – 19 years ago, it was hard to keep track of who the Blues were signing in a crazy summer.
Under the management of Claudio Ranieri, the Premier League side went from a decent side to title contenders when Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003 and made it one of the wealthiest clubs in the world.
The Russian is now gone after 19 years, American Todd Boehly replacing him as owner and his first months in charge have not quite gone to plan.
But the club are in a very different place to what they were in 2003. Before Abramovich arrived, Chelsea were on the brink of financial abyss, deep in debt and praying for Champions League football to help. the club to ward off oblivion.
The billionaire came to the rescue, however. He is said to have been convinced to buy the club from Ken Bates after the Blues clinched the final Champions League spot at the expense of Liverpool with a 2-1 win.
He wrote off the debt and suddenly not only were the Blues saved from the wall, but the club embarked on an unprecedented spending spree which heralded an era of success to rival the biggest clubs in England and Europe. .
Now fans who had given up supporting the club during the darkest years were returning to Stamford Bridge to bask in the glory to come and they got a taste of things to come during a wild summer in 2003.
Here, talkSPORT.com takes a look at the spending spree…
Jürgen Macho – free
The Austrian keeper arrived shortly before Abramovich took over, at a time when Chelsea were on the brink financially.
Macho was the second-choice shot-stopper at the Stadium of Light and had made 22 Premier League appearances for the club, although he didn’t feature in a single game for the Blues before leaving in 2004.
Little did Chelsea fans know Macho’s low-key arrival was about to be overshadowed by a glut of super signings.
Marco Ambrosio – free
Another goalkeeper before Abramovich officially took over, Ambrosio had been capped at Under-21 level by Italy and was destined to be understudy for compatriot Carlo Cudicini.
He lasted just one season at Bridge, but featured in the memorable 2-1 Champions League quarter-final win over Arsenal at Highbury.
Glen Johnson (West Ham) – £6m
Johnson was just 18 when he signed on the dot-line from relegated West Ham and became a key player in the 2004/05 title-winning campaign.
He eventually played for Portsmouth, Liverpool, Stoke.
Geremi (Real Madrid) – £7m
The Cameroon international was signed after a season on loan in the Premier League with Middlesbrough.
He had a lot of playing time, but never really became someone the fans particularly liked.
Wayne Bridge (Southampton) – £7million
Like Johnson, but on the opposite flank, Bridge was a much-loved young full-back when Chelsea swooped.
He scored one of Chelsea’s most famous goals, against Arsenal in the Champions League in 2004, and enjoyed a regular place in the team until the arrival of Ashley Cole two years later.
Damien Duff (Blackburn) – £17million
Now the big spend has kicked into high gear as talented striker Duff has been lured onto the deck for a hefty fee.
The Irishman has become a fan favorite and crucial player, especially under Jose Mourinho who replaced Claudio Ranieri as manager in 2004.
Joe Cole (West Ham) – £6.6m
Everyone was delighted with Cole when Chelsea signed him, and many believed he would become the next big English talent.
Although he never quite realized that potential, he enjoyed a trophy-laden career at Stamford Bridge, spanning seven years at the club.
Juan Sebastian Veron (Manchester United) – £15m
A double whammy, Veron and Cole arrived on the same day as Chelsea simply ran out of days to announce their numerous signings.
Although clearly talented, the jury was still out on Veron, and he did little at Chelsea to change that.
Adrian Mutu (Parma) – £15.8m
Then Chelsea signed a striker who had torn Serie A apart, but the move was a disaster.
A controversial figure off the pitch, Mutu left the club in disgrace after testing positive for cocaine in 2005.
Alexey Smertin (Bordeaux) – £3.45m
One for Roman? Russian international Smertin was signed as the month drew to a close.
But there was more to come…
Hernan Crespo (Inter Milan) – £16.8m
World-class striker Crespo has arrived to bolster the Blues’ attack.
However, despite spending five years at Chelsea, he only really played two seasons.
Three years were spent on loan at Inter and Milan, before finally being sold to Inter in 2008.
Neil Sullivan (Tottenham) – £500,000
Another keeper! Sullivan was tempted from Tottenham to compete with Cudicini.
Soon all would be surplus to requirements with the arrival of Petr Cech in 2004.
Claude Makelele (Real Madrid) – £16m
And finally, Madrid’s Makelele arrived on the last day of August, taking Chelsea’s spending to over £110m, which was a huge sum in 2003.
Makelele is one of the few men in football to be honored with his own position – ‘the role of Makelele’ rose to fame while at Chelsea.