The wealth of Chelsea and Roman Abramovich does not mean they are immune from the credit crunch admits chairman Bruce Buck. "No one is immune to the credit crisis, even football," he told Sky Sports News.

"I don't think any club is feeling it (the credit crunch) immediately but I think we all will feel it in the relatively near term.

"I think when season ticket renewals go out in May and when people start thinking about Christmas presents, I think we're going to have a more difficult time in our megastore and with corporate hospitality and our season ticket sales.

"The credit crunch is a very big issue that we are all going to have to deal with, certainly in the middle term, even with a benefactor like Roman Abramovich.

"If we think revenues are going to go down a bit we will have to look at our expense side and see if there are areas we can save a little bit and that is something we are doing at the moment. "

But Buck also believes the club can continue to rely on Abramovich during the current economic uncertainty.

He said: "We're very comfortable with the debt we have from Roman Abramovich in terms of its viability, its importance and its long-term availability."