Chelsea's Frank Lampard (left) holds back Newcastle United's Obafemi Martins during their English League Cup match in Newcastle, northern England, last month. - reuters

beijing (reuters)

Chelsea are on track to achieve their goal of being the top club in the world by 2014 and China is key to their success, chief executive Peter Kenyon said yesterday.

Kenyon was in Beijing to launch the English champions' Mandarin website - their first in a foreign language - and said the huge Chinese market had been a target since Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought the club back in 2003.

Big vision, a big ask

Kenyon, who joined Chelsea in February 2004 after a period of 'gardening leave' following his resignation from Manchester United, said: "When we took over Chelsea ... we set out a vision that by 2014 we would be the biggest football club in the world.

"That was a big vision, a big ask and predicated on three things. Firstly, a successful football team, secondly, we had to be in China and in a much more meaningful way than coming back every two years for a team tour."

The third principle of working with credible long-term partners was fulfilled in this case, he said, by running the website (www.chelsea.sina.com.cn) with Sina, by far China's biggest internet portal.

"There was a lot of noise about us coming out with a statement like that but it was about galvanising and giving direction to the club to be honest," Kenyon added.

Forays into Asia

"If you look at it three years in, then I think we're well on track ... but it's a long road."

Kenyon, who was in charge at United when they made forays into the Asian market, said he thought Chelsea had come to China "with our eyes open".

"I think we come with a realistic view, which is that you have to invest in before you get out," he said.

Kenyon said Chelsea's success in China was reliant on the success of football in China and to that end the club was already working with the China Football Association and Asian Football Confederation to help develop the game at its grass roots.

Chelsea has also offered the Chinese team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics a chance to train at the London club's state-of-the-art complex in Surrey.