Source: Daily_Mail
Moneybags I v Moneybags II: Chelsea and Man City in rich kids' battle
On Sunday, Manchester City [LNB]will play Chelsea [LNB]at Stamford Bridge, a Premier League fixture that pits the league's original money bags against the new boys on the billionaires' block.[LNB]How will it feel for Chelsea to be only the second richest club playing in west London on the Sabbath day?[LNB]Perhaps the Blues' fans will sneer at the nouveau riche mob from the north, who have stolen Chelsea's crown as the richest club in England.[LNB] Expensive collection: Chelsea's Drogba, Mikel and Essien[LNB]Some things never change, though: City's die-hard fans will still baulk at paying £4 for a pint in Fulham.[LNB]Thaksin Shinawatra's 14-month reign as owner of Manchester City ended at the end of August as the Abu Dhabi United Group, fronted by 31-year-old multi-billionaire Dr Sulaiman Al Fahim, swooped just before transfer deadline day to buy the club for a reported £210million.[LNB]Some City fans put tea towels on their head and celebrated as Al Fahim announced: 'Our goal is very simple - to make Manchester City the biggest club in the Premier League.'[LNB]Wealth: Dr Sulaiman Al Fahim[LNB]The businessman, known as 'The Donald Trump of Abu Dhabi' (but without the comb over, presumably), may have been off-key with his assertion that City's development would begin with a 'finish in the top four this season', but the arrival of Middle East riches seemed to herald a new era for one of football's perpetually under-achieving clubs.[LNB]And then came Robinho. An audacious last-minute offer for Dmitar Berbatov did not prevent the striker moving to Old Trafford, but City got their man with a £34m bid for the Brazilian, snaffling Robinho from the grasp of Chelsea and breaking the British transfer record in the process.[LNB]But Al Fahim's boasts didn't quite chime with Sheik Mansour, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family and the real money behind the takeover. Al Fahim subsequently lost hope of joining the City board and is looking at other clubs after failing to secure a job at Eastlands. [LNB]Chelsea, meanwhile, were relatively modest in the summer transfer window as new manager Luiz Felipe Scolari spent £16m on Jose Bosingwa and £8m on Deco.[LNB]Rumours abounded about the wealth of the Blues' owner, Roman Abramovich, as the collapse of the Russian stock market lead to suggestions the oligarch had lost billions of dollars. [LNB]Abramovich also attended less matches than he had in previous seasons, prompting reports the Russian had lost interest in Chelsea. He bought the club for an estimated £60m in 2003, taking on more than £80m in debt, and has ploughed a reported £500m into the club in loans.[LNB]Abramovich's billions bought the Blues two league titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups, but was the dream over?[LNB] Investment: Roman Abramovich and Peter Kenyon[LNB]By January Scolari was under pressure and being told he would have to sell players in order to bring fresh legs to the club. Ricardo Quaresma, secured on loan from Inter Milan, was the only player of note to arrive at Stamford Bridge.[LNB]Manchester City, however, were linked with all and sundry. Wayne Bridge, Craig Bellamy, Nigel de Jong and Shay Given joined the club for a total of £45m, but there was all that hype about a £100m bid for Kaka and executive chairman Garry Cook's assertion that AC Milan 'bottled it'. Credit crunch? What credit crunch?[LNB]Whatever the result on Sunday between Money Bags I and Money Bags II, the Premier League rich list has changed for good.[LNB] Could Manchester City and Chelsea field the two most expensive sides in Premier League history on Sunday?Despite the purchases of Robinho, Bellamy and De Jong, Chelsea's first team still costs more than their opponents. But will we be saying the same thing this time next season?[LNB]Asset: Robinho (right)[LNB]Manchester CityShay Given (£5.9m)Micah Richards (academy)Wayne Bridge (£12m)Richard Dunne (£3m)Nedum Onuoha (academy)Nigel de Jong (£17m) Vincent Kompany (£6m)Shaun Wright-Phillips (£11m)Stephen Ireland (academy)Robinho (£32.5m)Craig Bellamy (£12m)Total cost: £99.4m[LNB]ChelseaPetr Cech (£7m)Jose Bosingwa (£16m)Alex (£4m)John Terry (academy)Ashley Cole (£5m part exchange) John Mikel Obi (£16m)Michael Ballack (free)Frank Lampard (£11m)Michael Essien (24m)Didier Drogba (£24m)Florent Malouda (£15m)Total cost: £122m[LNB] English football's greatest rivalry: A trip down sport's memory lane with Manchester United and Liverpool[LNB]CHELSEA FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE NET[LNB]MAN CITY FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE NET[LNB][LNB]
