Chelsea FC: How to squander a billion in a year

Football Chelsea FC

How to squander a billion in a year

Status: 1:37 p.m. | Reading time: 4 minutes

By Axel Hesse, Yvonne Gabriel

Proud price: Axel Disasi’s market value is estimated at 30 million euros, Chelsea’s fee for the Frenchman at Monaco was 45 million euros

Quelle: Getty Images/Shaun Botterill

Chelsea FC has been a well run and successful football club for years. Then American investors took over. If they wanted a player, the manager of the releasing club rubs his hands.

What a record: With the transfer of 19-year-old Roméo Lavia, who is now the most expensive U20 player in England with a transfer fee of 62 million euros, Chelsea have reached a previously unimaginable mark: the English invested in just one year one billion euros in transfer fees for new players.

After the spending spree last season with spending of over 600 million euros, the Londoners continued right there, despite great criticism and a brutal sporting crash (12th place). So far this summer, they’ve spent nearly €400 million.

The American club owner Todd Boehly (49) and his partners bought the club from Roman Abramovich (56) for almost three billion euros last year. Under the Russian, Chelsea went from pure money to a top club, winning the Champions League in 2012 and 2021. His successors almost destroyed the work within twelve months.

Agents sing their players to the owners

Soccer layman Boehly, who was previously at home in baseball and basketball, seems to want to show the managers in the world’s best soccer league how their business works. To impress, he has gathered a huge staff around himself. Among other things, he hired four sports directors. Including Christopher Vivell (36) from RB Leipzig, who has already left the club.

Todd Boehly in the stands at Chelsea

Quelle: Getty Images/Clive Mason

Each of his market experts tried to position his players and bring in ideas. Everyone agreed. Either from Boehly, who also likes to go it alone and always has an open ear for the ideas of all player agents, or with co-owner Behdad Eghbali (47), also an American entrepreneur and favorite of player agents.

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If one of the two newcomers comes knocking, the clubs will already rub their hands in view of the higher profits. An example is Mykhaylo Mudryk (22). The Ukrainian was signed in January. Arsenal would have transferred 70 million euros to Shakhtar Donetsk after tough poker including bonuses. Chelsea didn’t hesitate and paid 100 million euros.

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In order not to violate financial fair play, the entrepreneurs have discovered a loophole in the statues for themselves: because the transfer fee is credited proportionately to the years of the first contract, they have tied professionals like Mudryk until 2031. The contracts of the two most expensive players, Moisés Caicedo (21), who joined from Brighton this summer for up to €133m, and Enzo Fernández (22), signed from Benfica in January for €121m, have also been contracted Terms until 2031.

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Will these expensive professionals ever become a top team? Unlikely. At least Fernández seems to be taking off now. With Mauricio Pochettino (51), an Argentine compatriot is now his coach. For Boehly he is the fourth coach in twelve months. Graham Potter (48) followed Thomas Tuchel (49/now FC Bayern). It cost 17.4 million euros, but was fired after seven months. Then club icon Frank Lampard (45) returned and also failed due to the mixed-up bunch.

In the summer, the hearts of the 2021 Champions League winners were sacrificed: Kai Havertz (24), Mason Mount (24), N’Golo Kanté (32), César Azpilicueta (33), Mateo Kovacic (29) – all gone . In total, Chelsea sold players for €255m. It was good for the club that Édouard Mendy (31) and Kalidou Koulibaly (32) went to Saudi Arabia alongside Kanté. The fact that Boehly and Eghbali maintain company relationships in Saudi Arabia is not publicly stated, but it now helps immensely.

That doesn’t help much when it comes to sport. After a debatable 12th place in the previous season, the start of the new season also failed. After a draw against Liverpool and a defeat at West Hab, the Londoners have a point after two games.

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The article was researched for the sports competence center (WELT, SPORT BILD, BILD) and first published in SPORT BILD.