London: Andre Villas-Boas could emulate Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal by remaining Chelsea's manager for 10 or 15 years, club chairman Bruce Buck said on Thursday.
Chelsea have had seven managers since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003, but Buck said at the Leaders in Football Conference at Stamford Bridge that he was optimistic Villas-Boas would enjoy great success in the years ahead.
"He is only 33 but he has already had success," said Buck. "In the past we have gone for experienced, successful managers, now we have one who is young and also successful and we hope he will have a lot more success at Chelsea."
"The right man could be in the job for 10 or 15 years and, in light of Andre's age, he may be that guy. People questioned how a manager of 33 could manage a player of 31 and let me tell you he does it very well and there are no problems there at all."
Ferguson celebrates 25 years as United's manager next month while Wenger has been in charge of Arsenal for 15 years.
Buck said: "Those clubs have enjoyed great longevity with their managers but it shouldn't just be longevity for longevity's sake."
Portuguese Villas-Boas, who joined Chelsea after winning three trophies with Porto last season, will be 34 this month but is not a complete stranger to Stamford Bridge, having worked at the club as an assistant when Jose Mourinho was manager.
Chelsea are third in the Premier League, three points behind United and Manchester City after seven matches.
Meanwhile, Buck has urged the club to cut their transfer outlay in order to meet UEFA's Financial Fair Play criteria.
At the end of January, Chelsea recorded a loss of 70.9 million Pounds for last year up to June 2010, but have since spent a reported 70m Pounds on transfers this summer.
Pressure is now on for Chelsea to meet the Financial Fair Play rules, which forces clubs to break even by 2014 or face expulsion from UEFA competitions.
"Even before [Financial Fair Play] we were of the view we couldn't rely on Mr Abramovich for ever," Buck told the Daily Mail.
"We had to figure out a way over the medium term to stand on our own two feet. Maybe Financial Fair Play is making us do that a little bit quicker."
"We have to up our sponsorship income. We have to reduce our transfer fees, reduce our payroll and up our match-day revenues if we can. Naming rights could also be important."
"An academy costs maybe 5m Pounds a year to run, so if you can get maybe one player every year or 18 months into the first team, look at the transfer fees you've saved. The economics are pretty clear. Implementing it is much more difficult."
The Chelsea Supporters Group have voiced their disapproval at rising ticket prices at Stamford Bridge, leading to a portion of fans urging a boycott for the club's next Champions League home outing against Genk on October 19.
Buck has acknowledged prices, which are set to rise to 52 Pounds for a standard seat if Chelsea reach the knockout stages, are steep, but admits it is a conscious effort by the club to balance their books.
"We're comfortable that [Stamford Bridge] is going to be full. The manager, Andre Villas-Boas, looks on it as a big match and will want the fans to come and support the club," said Buck.
"JT [John Terry] and all the other players recognise it's an important match and are asking fans to support them."
"I understand supporters saying they would prefer lower prices but we try to spread the balance - I think we've got it about right, but I do understand that some people would disagree."
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