What motivates Abramovich, as with many of his fellow oligarchs, is prestige and exclusivity. Procuring the very best talent available, and thus denying it to their rivals. He wants the finest footballers available to humanity. He wants them here, and he wants them now. (Quite how Steve Sidwell fitted into all this is unclear). And if your rivals are keeping their hands by their sides, then you can secure yourself an A-list asset simply by paying a small (or in the case of Fernando Torres, eye-watering) premium.