Has Roman Abramovich Changed His Transfer Strategy at Chelsea over the Years?

After a quiet start, it seems that Chelsea have finally entered the transfer market in earnest this summer, with the recent acquisitions of Andre Schurrle, Marco Van Ginkel and Mark Schwarzer.

With total outlay so far being around £27.5 million, this season's transfer activity is a far cry from the first couple of seasons under Russian owner Roman Abramovich, when more than £100 million was often the minimum total for transfer expenses.

This year it looks as though Chelsea's spending is not quite complete, given that the club still appears to be looking for a striker, but even so, you cannot help but notice that there seems to have been a significant shift in the way that Abramovich conducts his transfer strategy.

There are a couple of reasons for this shift.

First of all, when comparing Abramovich's first season to this season, there is always going to be a noticeable change from a strategy aimed at turning an at best fourth-placed club into a regular trophy-winning club.

Secondly, with UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations moving into effect, Chelsea cannot rely on the Russian billionaire as they have in the past.

However, when you consider that Chelsea's last three seasons have seen them spend over £70 million each year, perhaps money is not the best measure of how Abramovich's transfer strategy has developed.

What is more telling is the kind of players that have been brought in. Take a look at the list of players who arrived at Chelsea in the 2003/04 season:

Glen Johnson (from West Ham United): £6 million

Geremi (from Real Madrid): £7 million

Damien Duff (from Blackburn Rovers): £17 million

Wayne Bridge (from Southampton): £7 million

Juan Sebastian Veron (from Manchester United): £15 million

Joe Cole (from West Ham United): £6.6 million

Adrian Mutu (from Parma): £15.8 million

Alexei Smertin (from Bordeaux): £3.5 million

Hernan Crespo (from Inter Milan): £16.8 million

Claude Makelele (from Real Madrid): £16.6 million

Scott Parker (from Charlton Athletic): £10 million

Of these 11 players, what stands out most is precisely that no one really stands out at all. Except for perhaps Hernan Crespo, none of these players were what you might have considered global "stars." The message here is clear: Abramovich was looking at large-scale overhaul.

Throughout the years, the number of transfers per season waned ever so slightly, and with each year it seemed that fewer players were brought in, but their star power rose exponentially.

The 2006/07 season saw the arrival of Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko, and as we all know, 2010/11 saw the £50 million purchase of Fernando Torres.

Despite Torres' indifferent form for the club, it would appear that Abramovich is sticking to the galactico mindset. So far this summer, the club has been repeatedly linked with players such as Radamel Falcao, Edinson Cavani and even Wayne Rooney.

Although none of these transfers has worked out (and some are still up in the air), each time Chelsea have been linked with these players, it is for an astounding amount of money.

Curious really, given that it was not Torres, but another Spaniard bought for less than half that price the following year who truly had the biggest impact at Chelsea.

Abramovich is certainly not afraid of spending big to bring big names to Stamford Bridge. Transfer policy under the Russian has certainly shifted over the years, and it looks as though he will be sticking to his guns in this respect—at least for the near future.

However, if Chelsea are to challenge Manchester United and establish themselves as a powerhouse club once again, perhaps it is time for one more shift in transfer strategy.