Sven-Goran Eriksson advised Roman Abramovich to buy Chelsea rather than Tottenham because he said the Blues were closer to winning trophies.

The Russian billionaire confided in the former England manager Eriksson in 2003 before buying the West London club for £140 million.

Despite having his heart set on a Russian club, Abramovich turned to the Premier League where Eriksson says he was considering an offer for either Chelsea or Tottenham.

Eriksson told The Sun: "He was thinking Chelsea or Tottenham. He phoned me and said, "Who shall I buy?

"I said if you want to win the league then Chelsea - because you only have to change half the team.

"At that time with Tottenham maybe you would have had to change the whole team."