A snip at £30m? Chelsea's Kenyon claims Sheva was value for money

After 18 months of bitter in-fighting, Chelsea's Cobham training base was a picture of harmony yesterday.

Manager Luiz Felipe Scolari exuded bonhomie while chief executive Peter Kenyon declared Deco to be the 'buy of the season' and promised more Latin brilliance would soon be on its way to Stamford Bridge in the shape of £26million striker Robinho.

Kenyon was unveiling the club's Corporate Social Responsibility Report, which catalogues the good causes supported at home and abroad to the tune of £4.39m during the 2006-07 season.

The mood was so upbeat Chelsea even tried to insist the £30m spent on Andriy Shevchenko - not to mention his six-figure weekly wage - had been a sound investment.

Their reasoning is that Shevchenko was nearly 30 when he arrived and they had accounted for a steep drop in his transfer value; that the team enjoyed two successful years with him in the squad; and that he has only gone on loan to AC Milan, so may yet command a transfer fee.

'Yes, I do, I do,' said Kenyon, when asked if he thought Shevchenko had been good value for money (no sniggering at the back, please).

'You have to look at these things pragmatically, sometimes these things don't work as well as you want. Remember, we got Deco for £8m and that looks to be the buy of the season. You have to counter these things and we're happy with where we are.'

Kenyon was cagey about Chelsea's pursuit of AC Milan's Kaka but Robinho, 24, is expected to sign a five-year deal after a £26m fee was agreed with Real Madrid.

The Brazilian must complete the transfer before 5pm tomorrow if he is to be available against Spurs on Sunday. He meets the work permit criteria but the Spanish FA have been slow with their international clearance, which frustrated Newcastle when they signed Jonas Gutierrez from Real Mallorca.

Kenyon said: 'I'm confident we'll get it done and Robinho is committed to wanting to come. Scolari is confident about the player's ability and mentality, that he will fit in and make an impact.

'We're comfortable it will be a good investment. We are supporting Scolari, now he wants to move the style a bit to take us to the next level. When we sat down, Scolari said you have such a great squad, you need something special to improve it. He came up with two names - Deco and Robinho.'

Scolari has made a positive impact. His relaxed manner, underpinned by being a World Cup winner, commands players' respect, which proved hard for Avram Grant.

'He's easy, everyone can relate to him,' said Kenyon. 'He's a big character, he understands football but he's got a real human side to him. One of his big skills is that he has forever dealt with big players.

'It feels like he's been here forever. I'm not sure drama is good for anybody, so the less you've got, the better you are. We're gaining respect every year and the rest of Europe see us as a real club.'

The Scolari effect was evident as he and his players mingled with the beneficiaries of Chelsea's community work, meeting children helped by the club's donations to the CLIC Sargent cancer charity and the Kickz scheme, aimed at providing inner city kids with better football facilities and coaching.

'When I see the faces of my players and faces of the young boys and girls, I am happy,' said Scolari.

'These boys and girls have a dream to meet John Terry and Joe Cole and they are here, easy to meet and to talk to. It's fantastic. I have my own dream, same as young boys and girls. It is to win all the competitions. Now it's a dream, but maybe in May or June it will be reality.'