This is Roman's Chelsea World, Ancelotti is just living in it.

How much of Chelsea's audacious move for Fernando Torres is motivated by manager Carlo Ancelotti's needs and requests? Looking at the evidence, Chelsea do seem to be moving to an almost American sport system with Roman Abramovich playing the role of Owner/General Manager to Carlo Ancelotti's role as Coach. In other words, Abramovich will ultimately decide the players available for the manager, and it is the manager's job to utilise what resources are given to him in terms of personnel. 

Sound a bit far fetched? Consider this: Ancelotti explicitly downplayed the need for an additional striker again and again last year when directly questioned about interest in Fernando Torres, expressing his faith in Didier Drogba and Nicholas Anelka as the mentors who would serve to bring through younger talents like Salomon Kalou and Daniel Sturridge. With big money and perhaps one of Ancelotti's young attacking threats in Sturridge going the other way in return for Torres, there are obvious questions as to who exactly is chasing this transfer: Ancelotti or Abramovich?

Indeed, Ancelotti made a point of continually highlighting his belief in bringing through a talented crop of young players along with Sturridge which including Josh McEachran, Gael Kakuta and Jeffrey Bruma. Yet the impact these youngsters were supposedly set to make in helping the Club retain its League Title never happened. Ancelotti appeared to cast some strong doubt on just how ready these young talents are.

Regardless of that fact though, and the fact that Didier Drogba has had a considerable dip in form, it does seem odd that the Club is about to smash the British transfer record on a player who the manager explicitly downplayed interest in just months ago. It seems likely that this signing, a true statement of intent, is being driven by Roman Abramovich who has recognised that in his eyes his manager does not have the tools at his disposable to meet the Club's lofty ambitions once more.

The proof is in the pudding, though: if the Fernando Torres signing, spectacular as it is, leaves Ancelotti without the talented young centre-half he wanted and would have preferred in David Luiz, it will be more evidence still that any manager who takes the reigns at Chelsea is living in Roman Abramovich's Chelsea World.