Chelsea FC’s annual wage bill has increased 8% this season but the Blues are still behind both Manchester United and Manchester City. The Blues went up from £176 million during the 2013-2014 season to a hefty £190.5 million this season. The remarkable thing is that Manchester United spend nearly £25 million more and Manchester City about £15 million more.
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In the wake of UEFA’s FFP rules, it is a miracle that the Blues are still able to turn a profit after spending that much on player wages. This is possible through the shrewd sale of some of Chelsea FC’s most popular players. David Luiz and Juan Mata were both jettisoned for tremendous profits with Luiz being the much more expensive player at a reported £50 million.
They have shown a ruthlessness when it comes to the sale of some of these assets, even selling them to direct rivals in Manchester United and Everton in the case of Romelu Lukaku. Even though Everton are not a title rival, they are still a club that Chelsea must face twice a year in the Premier League. Other good players such as Kevin De Bruyne were also sold when before FFP they may have been kept on the squad to bolster its depth.
With a club like Manchester United spending exorbitant sums of money and still not making a serious title charge, Chelsea fans have a right to gloat at the expense of their smug rivals. United fans constantly harp about how their club does things the “right way” with youth development and not just throwing millions of pounds at spoiled footballers. It is hard to maintain that moral high ground when they have a player like Radamel Falcao on the squad who makes £300k a week and does little on the pitch.
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The rest of the Red Devils’ wages are tied up in players like Wayne Rooney, Angel di Maria, and Robin Van Persie, who to be fair have done their parts on the pitch this season. One can imagine though that one more season without Champions League football it will be hard to keep players of that caliber around Old Trafford. These players and the club may be looking to part ways for both footballing and financial reasons as United may fear the penalties of not complying with FFP.
City on the other hand have tried other, more creative, ways of skirting FFP regulations. The whole mess with Frank Lampard and NYC FC may have been a ploy to keep his wages off the City books and away from UEFA’s prying eyes. There are also reports that Manchester City and City Financial Group are looking to buy clubs in Spain and Portugal to help spread that financial burden.
Whether UEFA lets this slide or allows them to cook the books in such a manner is yet to be seen but it is a story that all football fans, especially Chelsea FC fans, should follow. Either way, the Blues are doing things the right way and spending their money wisely so they should keep doing what they are doing and not focus on what is happening with the Manchester clubs.