David Dein has ushered me into a first-floor lounge at his sumptuous London townhouse, given me the pick of the sofas, ensured I’ve been served the right beverage to accompany today’s freshly made pastry, and now we’re rattling through topics unrelated to the one I’m here to talk about.
There’s some Chinese economics (we last met a few years ago at a lecture on the future intersection of Sino fiscal policy and football), the sale of Chelsea (and why he’d been quietly lobbying ministers for a fraction of the proceeds to go to grassroots football, unsuccessfully), and then we’re on to prison reform.