When Roman Abramovich hands over the keys at some point in the next few weeks, there will be much talk of legacy and how his arrival in English football changed the game forever.
Chelsea fans, the majority of them unashamedly gutted to see the Russian billionaire depart, will point to the trophy cabinet and the countless special days they have enjoyed watching their club turn into one of the best in the world.
Those who remain hopeful of the future will point to Cobham and a world-leading academy that has received significant investment for many years.
But the greatest change the Russian brought in 2003 was turning the transfer market upside down by investing unprecedented amounts of money on transforming a mediocre squad into one immediately capable of becoming league champions.
Recruitment is where the bulk of the £1.5billion invested by Abramovich has gone. And as a result there will now be an expectation that the new owners take a similarly open mind to free spending.
That explains why some of the reaction around any American consortium rumoured to be interested has been met with such disdain from a typically hysterical social media audience.
Or why the reports linking a private Saudi consortium, of whom not much is known, have been met with jubilation from many because, well, the internet will have you believe that their funds are unlimited.
It does not matter that the intentions of various parties remain unclear in a bidding process that still has plenty of time to run, because perceptions based on nationality have become entrenched based on small sample sizes from other clubs.
The problem for whoever purchases the club will be the incessant comparisons, the judging of every move with the preceding two decades.
To tighten recruitment budgets would immediately put them on the wrong footing with a fanbase where anyone under the age of 30 knows little other than big spending.
Tomorrow: importance of maintaining the academy.
