Kenyon keen to build Chelsea heritage
Chief executive Peter Kenyon insists Chelsea must continue to create their own kind of footballing heritage as he prepares for their clash with former club Manchester United.
Kenyon moved from Old Trafford to Stamford Bridge in September 2003 and has since helped the champions to become one of the biggest clubs in the world both on and off the pitch - rivalling United in terms of financial clout.
He said: "Manchester United was built around heritage, whether it was the Busby Babes, the 1958 (Munich plane) crash, the 1968 European Cup final, or the Ferguson years, they have set the benchmark for English football. Chelsea's success was sporadic. We had not had that depth of heritage to fall back on."
He added: "But we're based in London, one of the top three cities in the world, it was critical to get on-field success, we attracted I think the top manager in Europe, possibly the world, and we had to create success. Being different is in our DNA.
"The team is the best we've had in my three years here, and I don't think we've seen the best of it yet.
"We set our plan with a 10-year period and a five-year break-even. We've got a stadium that is 99% full every game, we've brought in new sponsors with Samsung and adidas, landmark deals, our fanbase is growing faster than any other club. Like everything we do at Chelsea it's an aggressive plan.
"The reality is that when we look at the type of players we've brought in, with the exception of Michael Ballack and Andriy (Shevchenko), they are young and will last for a long time. We're very focused on youth development and attracting the best youth to Chelsea."
