which after all the talk of "branding" and "synergy" and "globalisation" was more than welcome. Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevkenko, he insisted, have been brought to Chelsea for their value on the pitch, not in the Megastore.

"We went to them not because we want to sell shirts, not because we think they will give us a lot of money in terms of merchandising, not to increase the number of supporters in Germany or Ukraine, but because we feel the team needs this to improve, " he declared. The specific improvement the manager is looking for, even after two seasons of dominating Premiership football, is in the game's most fundamental facet: goalscoring.

For the second season running Chelsea were comfortably champions but not the highest scorers. Indeed, only twice previously in Premiership history have the winning team scored as few as the 72 goals recorded in each campaign under Mourinho. The leading marksman each time has been a midfielder, Frank Lampard, with 14 and 13 goals respectively. Now he is being provided not only with an even more attack-minded midfield partner in Ballack, but in Shevchenko (187 goals in 326 club games) someone who ranks a cut above Didier Drogba (73 in 199) as a natural born scorer. In Mourinho's words: "Somebody with a killer instinct, a very, very strong goal record." Hernan Crespo (20 in 49 games for Chelsea) may depart as a consequence.

Rumours persist that Chelsea's owner Roman Abramovich had considerable influence in the hiring of Shevchenko, as the club modified a policy of signing younger (albeit expensive) players capable of improving under Mourinho's coaching.

What Abramovich now wants for his money is twofold: Chelsea to become champions of Europe and earn rather more respect in the football community for the attractiveness and excitement of their play. A little worryingly for him the manager refuses to make a priority of either aim. "To establish priorities is very difficult and dangerous, " he said. "The priority is to win the next game, Premiership or Carling Cup or Champions League. Imagine before a Champions League game, I rest important players, then I lose in the Premiership and maybe in Champions League too."

As to the charge that Chelsea are expensive but not expansive: "Of course we want to improve. Do we want to score more goals? Yes. Play better? Yes. But I don't want to win less times. There is like a movement around us to try to . . ." For once he is lost for words, at the British people's ingratitude, but only temporarily. "I want to be loved by my people, I want Chelsea supporters to love me. If I go to another English stadium and the people love me, it's because I'm a loser with Chelsea. So I'm not waiting for that."