Record debt for rampant Chelsea

FORGET their 10-point lead atop the Premiership and the race to an unprecedented quadruple, Chelsea are about to scoop the first honour of the Roman Abramovich era - record losses.

Abramovich may have some of the deepest pockets in the world, let alone English football, but the London club is set to reveal figures for the Russian oil magnate's first season as their owner which will easily surpass the previous record figures suffered by Leeds United.

It was less than 18 months ago that then Premiership side Leeds revealed pre-tax losses of £49.5 million (€71.5m) for the 2002-2003 season, the highest figure in British football history.