Manchester City and Chelsea have both benefited from the arrival of billionaire owners, with Shaun Wright-Phillips claiming the success enjoyed at the Etihad Stadium has been “more strategic”.
Those at Stamford Bridge were the first in English football to embrace the riches provided by foreign ownership when Roman Abramovich arrived in west London.
The Russian oligarch took charge of Chelsea in the summer of 2003 and immediately set about turning the Blues into a dominant force on domestic and European stages. Throwing money at that project allowed the likes of Jose Mourinho and Roberto Di Matteo to deliver Premier League and Champions League triumphs.