Chelsea want the probable appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as head coach to be the dawn of a new era, but accompanying speculation over a summer transfer move for Paris Saint-German forward Neymar creates a sense that history is repeating itself.
After completing the takeover of Chelsea last May, co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital wanted to make a splash in the transfer market, partly to show fans their level of ambition but also to signal they would be as aggressive as former owner Roman Abramovich was in pursuing top talent.
Acting as interim sporting director amid wholesale changes at executive level, Boehly met with a large number of agents and clubs as he devised a strategy which would eventually lead the club spending over €600 million to sign 17 players.