Chelsea fans BEG for transfer ban as investigation into finance ‘rule breaks’ under Abramovich ‘reaching conclusion’
CHELSEA fans have been left begging for a transfer ban after Richard Masters gave an update on an investigation into the club.
The Premier League are looking into the Blues for potential financial breaches during Roman Abramovich‘s reign.
GettyRichard Masters has given an update on the investigation into Chelsea[/caption]
Todd Boehly has overseen a huge splurge on transfers since arriving in 2022Getty
GettyThe club could be handed a transfer ban[/caption]
The Russian oligarch owned the West London club between 2003 and 2022.
He was forced to sell the club after being sanctioned by the UK Government following Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine.
Todd Boehly‘s consortium bought the club in May 2022 and then reported cases of incomplete financial information.
It was then reported by multiple outlets that Abramovich used offshore companies to make transactions with agents that benefitted Chelsea.
The leaked documents suggested that payments were worth tens of millions of pounds and would have broken financial rules if declared.
The club’s new owners reported themselves to Uefa and the Prem after finding the payments.
In July 2023, Uefa fined the club £8.6million for “submitting incomplete financial information”.
However, there is yet to be a punishment from the Prem and CEO Masters has given an update before the 2024/25 campaign starts.
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He told talkSPORT: “What we’re talking about is something historic.
“It’s complicated where we have the club talking to us about things that have happened under a previous ownership.
WHAT IS FFP?
SunSport’s Martin Lipton breaks down what it is all about…
FFP – or Financial Fair Play – is a concept originally introduced by Uefa in 2009, officially to prevent clubs from spending money they could not afford.
Yet many critics have rounded on the system, accusing it of being a protective instrument, drafted by the so-called “legacy clubs” to prevent insurgent and wealthier clubs from buying their way onto the top table.
The Premier League introduced its own FFP regulations which came into effect for the 2013-14 season and which, while less stringent than Uefa regulations, they do impact on club spending.
Under the current Prem “Profitability and Sustainability” regulations, clubs who are constant members of the top flight for a three-year period are allowed total losses of £105m over those three campaigns.
But it is not as simple as totting up outlay and income.
The biggest outlay, of course, is transfer fees. The 20 Prem clubs spent a total of around £2.4bn in last summer’s transfer window.
Yet that does not mean they “spent” that money as far as the Prem rules are concerned.
Transfer fees are “amortised” over the length of the contract, so, for example, a £100m fee for a player who signs a five-year deal is amortised at a cost of £20m per season for each of those five campaigns.
GettyKiernan Dewsbury-Hall is one of the many players to join the club this summer[/caption]
GettyJoao Felix has been linked with a return to the club[/caption]
Chelsea have tried to sign Samu OmorodionGetty
The club have also been interested in signing Karim Adeyemi from Borussia DortmundGetty
‘All I can say is that investigation is reaching a conclusion.
“But until it has done so, I can’t really say what is going to happen next.”
The current investigation could see the club handed a fine, a points deduction or even a transfer ban.
Despite the ongoing uncertainty, Chelsea has not stopped spending heavily in the transfer window.
The Blues have spent over £1BILLION since the takeover in 2022 on a huge amount of players.
The current squad is so swollen that manager Enzo Maresca could field four teams without using the same players twice.
The club’s spending in the last two years has is less than only nine others in the history of English football.
Chelsea have spent over £100m on midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.
There have also been lesser-known arrivals, such as Omari Kellyman, Marc Guiu, Renato Veiga and Aaron Anselmino, to name a few.
I’d love to have a crystal ball. I think it’s a madhouse over there at the moment.
Rio Ferdinand
Fans have reacted to the news on social media and have begged the club to be given a transfer ban.
One posted: “Trust me, we don’t fear a transfer ban. At this point, we want one.”
A second wrote: “Honestly, Chelsea would benefit from a transfer ban.”
A third commented: “God, please give Chelsea a transfer ban for at least two windows.”
A fourth said: “Who else can Chelsea possibly buy? Please announce a transfer ban.”
Another added: “Chelsea two window transfer ban, here we land!”
The club has already signed nine new players this summer and continues to be linked with more.
Atletico Madrid stars Joao Felix and Samu Omorodion are among the attackers to be mooted with a move to Stamford Bridge.
Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi is also a target for a reported £25m fee.
The Blues are also closing in on a move for Genk’s young star Mike Penders which would see him become the 10th goalkeeper in the squad.
Every Chelsea signing under Todd Boehly
Here is a list of all Chelsea’s signings under Todd Boehly…
Raheem Sterling – £47.5m
Kalidou Koulibaly £33m
Gabriel Slonina – £8m
Carney Chukweumeka – £20m
Marc Cucurella – £57.5m
Cesare Casadei – £13.3m
Wesley Fofana – £70m
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – £10.3m
Denis Zakaria – £2.7m (Loan fee)
David Datro Fofana – £10.6m
Benoit Badiashile – £33.7m
Andre Santos – £11.1m
Joao Felix – £9.7m (Loan fee)
Mykhailo Mudryk – £62m
Noni Madueke – £30m
Malo Gusto – £26.75m
Enzo Fernandez – £107.8m
Christopher Nkunku – £52m
Diego Moreira – FREE
Nicolas Jackson – £31.5m
Angelo Gabriel – £13m
Lesley Ugochukwu – £23.3m
Axel Disasi – £38.9m
Robert Sanchez – £20m
Moises Caicedo – £100m
Romeo Lavia – £53.2m
Deivid Washington – £13.7m
Cole Palmer – £40.1m
Djordje Petrovic – £13.6m
Tosin Adarabioyo – FREE
Marc Guiu – £5.1m
Caleb Wiley – £8.63m
Renato Veiga – £12m
Aarón Anselmino – £14m
Omari Kellyman – £19.2m
Filip Jorgensen – £21m
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – £30.2m
Pedro Neto – £54m
SUNSPORT’S TRANSFER NEWS LIVE
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Chelsea are eyeing up a shock move for Joao Felix after Samu Omorodion’s move to Stamford Bridge collapsed.
In other news, Saudi Pro League clubs are interested in Brentford striker Ivan Toney.
Elsewhere, Martin Zubimendi is a target of Liverpool’s this summer, and the Reds could decide to trigger his £53million release clause soon, according to reports.
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