AAn extra seat had been provided for a mystery guest, but no one guessed the identity of the man who would occupy the extra seat at the dinner table. It was a hot late summer evening in Jerusalem in 2019 when Roman Abramovich joined Emma Hayes and her Chelsea players for a few memorable hours. “It was a big surprise, the players were laughing like teenagers,” Hayes would later say.

“We sat down over dinner to talk about Middle Eastern history and the love of working for a club that supports its women’s football team like Chelsea have. We spent time in talk about his pride in us and what we do.

Until very recently, Hayes was happy to get excited about this pre-season tour of Israel and the day she and the players had a private visit alongside the Chelsea owner. With the Western Wall serving as an evocative backdrop, the Russian oligarch stood side-by-side with her as they happily posed for photos under a scorching Levant sun. “It was a wonderful, brilliant and thoughtful day,” the Chelsea manager said. “The experience was immensely spiritual for everyone. It brought us closer together and reinforced the value of caring for each other. Roman spending time with us in Israel meant a lot.

Three years ago, few who gazed at the Mount of Olives could have imagined the geopolitical train rushing towards them. At the time, Vladimir Putin‘s invasion of Ukraine seemed almost inconceivable. The idea that the UK government would impose sanctions on Abramovich, placing Chelsea in crippling limbo as its UK assets were frozen, has reportedly been dismissed as fanciful by those wary of mentioning the litigious owner’s ties to Putin.

As the only coach to survive a full decade under Abramovich‘s rule, Hayes was closer than most to an enigmatic Russian who once enjoyed deep table conversations with Rafael Benítez but, especially in recent years, s is often distant from the managers of his men’s team. Significantly, last May the Chelsea owner walked into the Gothenburg dressing room to sympathize with Hayes’ players after their 4-0 loss to Barcelona in the Champions League final. Touched, the manager pledged to win the trophy one day “for Roman” and couldn’t have imagined her world would implode 10 months later.

Arguably the most talented coach in domestic women’s football is trying hard to preserve the empire that Abramovich’s money helped her create at Kingsmeadow. Since joining Chelsea in 2012 and surviving an early relegation scare, Hayes has played a key role in transforming the entire topography of elite women’s football in England. After leading her side to a maiden Women’s Super League title in 2015, she won the trophy three times, while celebrating a trio of FA Cup triumphs and winning the League Cup twice.

Along the way, Chelsea raised the collective bar, a desire not to be overshadowed by persuading other top clubs, including Manchester City and Manchester United, to invest heavily in their women’s teams. Keen not to be outdone, Newcastle are committed to building a women’s side that will challenge the silverware.

Roman Abramovich during last season’s Women’s Champions League final in Gothenburg.” src=”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/7e3c5e1eaea8935cb66b4d769dfa884a752c1f6a/0_200_6000_3600/master/6000.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=344d9d77d27d8edde37767897ab82775″ height=”3600″ width=”6000″ loading=”lazy” class=”dcr-1989ovb”/>

Given that top players in the fully professional WSL can earn up to £250,000 a year, that’s quite a commitment. Tellingly, however, Chelsea’s success opened the eyes of rival clubs to the previously untapped commercial potential of women’s football.

WSL teams are now dotted with foreign talent, but it was Hayes who made the first big-name foreign signing with his acquisition of South Korean midfielder Ji So-yun in 2014. Ji was women’s football’s answer to Lionel Messi and his arrival paved the way for many imports. Typically, Chelsea set a women’s transfer fee world record by paying Wolfsburg around £300,000 for Denmark striker Pernille Harder in 2020.

Chelsea kick off at home to second-placed Aston Villa on Sunday, five points behind leaders Arsenal but two games less. For the time being, however, the music has stopped at Kingsmeadow, where only season ticket holders will be admitted, at least for now, after the ban on general ticket sales. With Hayes worried about losing a quintet who will be out of contract this summer – Ann Katrin-Berger, Maren Mjelde, Jonna Andersson, Ji and Drew Spence – Kingsmeadow regulars fear Abramovich’s eventual successor may be reluctant to invest with them.

After all, a Liverpool board obsessed with boosting Jürgen Klopp’s ambitions allowed a women’s side that won successive titles in 2013 and 2014 to slip into second-tier obscurity two years ago. Similarly, the FA demoted Sunderland two divisions in 2018 when billionaire Ellis Short sold and the financial taps were turned off.

Only time will tell if Chelsea’s moment in the sun is over but, come what may, Hayes has already left an indelible impression on the women’s game, changing it virtually beyond recognition.