Peter Kenyon, the outgoing Chelsea chief executive, has spoken out in praise of the club's owner, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.

Kenyon, who announced earlier this month that he will leave his role as chief executive - he will be replaced by another former Manchester United man, Ron Gourlay - praised Abramovich's investments, which have left the club with no external debt.

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"Roman Abramovich's investment has been fantastic for Chelsea," Kenyon said. "He's put money in and he's committed for the long term for the right reasons. We've got no external debt. We're not leveraged. We've got secured ownership with secured financing.

"We've never shied away from the amount of money we have invested in the club."

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