Chelsea officials predicted more success for the English giants on Monday after a decade under the ownership of Roman Abramovich.
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The Russian billionaire, still very much at the helm at Stamford Bridge, has spent an estimated £874 million on transfers and £1.5 billion on wages in the 10 years since he took charge of London club Chelsea on July 1, 2003.
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In so doing, Abramovich set a template for a host of wealthy foreign owners who've since taken charge of leading English football clubs and transformed the landscape of the game in its birthplace.
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Abramovich's investment has so far yielded three Premier League titles – prior to that the club were last crowned champions of England in 1955 –, four FA Cups, two League Cups and, significantly, a highly coveted European Champions League title and last season's Europa League.
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"It has been a hugely successful decade for Chelsea Football Club since Roman Abramovich took control, with an unprecedented number of trophies in the last 10 years," said Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay in a statement Monday.
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"The club has also taken great strides off the field in that time, adapting to meet the challenges of football's changing landscape.
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"Mr Abramovich's early investment in playing staff paid dividends in creating a team admired around the world, but to keep Chelsea among the elite we have always known we must produce our own world- class talent and we are beginning to see the benefits of our Academy, which will help us meet our long- term objectives for Financial Fair Play.
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"As we prepare for the next 10 years, I feel we are well positioned to continue the success we have so far enjoyed under Mr Abramovich and everybody here is determined to build on that progress we have made."
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Meanwhile Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck, writing in The Times, said Abramovich had transformed the west London club from mid-table mediocrity into a major global force.