Roman Abramovich has played a key role in cementing Chelsea's reputation as one of the best teams in England. Even so, his success in the Premier League could have seen Tottenham becoming one of the best teams in the English top flight if the tycoon had chosen to buy them instead.
Abramovich's intentions to buy Spurs back in 2003 were revealed in the book called "The Club", written by Wall Street Journal writers Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg. Furthermore, Abramovich was also interested in buying Arsenal, but he never had the chance of placing a bid, since he was told the Gunners were not for sale.
An excerpt from the book reveals that Abramovich compared Tottenham High Road with a remote area in Siberia where one of his businesses is located, prompting him to continue his search for a club.
"While his Mercedes trundled along Tottenham High Road, he looked out and said in Russian, 'This is worse than Omsk' - the grim Siberian outpost where he had a refinery," the book states.
Later, Arsenal execs turned down Abramovich's intention to buy the cliub, as he was repeatedly told the club "was not for sale." Eventually, former Arsenal exec David Dein would go on the record to say that Arsenal's hierarchy would have considered an offer from the Russian if he had presented it.
Arsenal and Tottenham have struggled to make an impact since Abramovich became Chelsea's owner. Surely the fates of either teams would have changed if the Russian tycoon had chosen to invest his money in any of them.
