The thrill of seeing Ross Barkley rescue Chelsea from the embarrassment of closing out the Roman Abramovich era by drawing with Watford had barely faded when a glimpse of the club’s future stepped on to the Stamford Bridge pitch to pose for photographs and join in the end-of-term celebrations with Thomas Tuchel’s players.
Change was in the air as the home fans fixed their gaze on Todd Boehly and Hansjörg Wyss. Their consortium is close to buying the club from Abramovich and on the evidence of this slog of a performance they will need to be decisive and ambitious when the transfer window opens if Chelsea are going to have any chance of closing the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool next season.
