Chelsea FC To Enjoy More FFP Freedom Next Year
The words “Financial Fair Play” have been spoken almost as a curse for some of the noveau rich clubs in Europe. Both PSG and Manchester City have both felt the bite of the words and are in serious trouble if they keep running afoul of the regulations. Chelsea FC and Jose Mourinho on the other hand, have embraced FFP as part of the game and are succeeding in spite of it.
More from The Pride of London
- Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea player ratings: Abysmal, reckless, wasteful
- Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea: 3 Blues talking points
- Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 1 Blue Mauricio Pochettino should drop
- Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 3 Blues who must start
- Predicted Chelsea lineup vs Bournemouth: Palmer starts in 4-2-3-1
The Blues have been operating under a strict business model of selling players in order to buy new ones and it has worked so far. They are top in the Premier League and have been all season but may be lacking the depth they could have had in a non-FFP universe. Imagine if the Blues did not have to sell David Luiz or Romelu Lukaku in order to afford Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas.
Those two players may have been sold for different reasons entirely but the money from their fees was used to fund the purchase of the Spanish duo last summer. It appears that after making a few deals and cutting loose some dead weight, Chelsea FC will have much mroe freedom to operate within the constraints of FFP.
The Telegraph reports that Chelsea FC will have access to an extra £40 million this summer to spend on new players. That money comes from a combination of sources and it will prove key in allowing Chelsea FC to bring in some more top players. The new shirt sponsorship deal with Yokohama is worth a reported £40m a year on its own but the Blues have saved a great deal of money by getting Fernando Torres off their books.
Due to some funky accounting under FFP, Fernando Torres was worth a whopping £18m a year in FFP costs. That was the cost of his transfer fee spread over the length of his contract plus his annual wages. Despite not receiving a fee for releasing Torres, the fact that his transfer fee and wages are off the books is just as good.
More from Chelsea FC News
- Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 1 Blue Mauricio Pochettino should drop
- Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 3 Blues who must start
- Predicted Chelsea lineup vs Bournemouth: Palmer starts in 4-2-3-1
- Chelsea sporting directors finally reveal why they sign so many young players
- These 3 new signings may never get a game at Chelsea
The Blues also extended Eden Hazard’s contract which helps in a strange way as well. Because Chelsea FC extended his contract, the cost of Eden Hazard’s transfer fee is now being calculated over five years, rather than the 2 and a half years he had remaining on his initial deal. It does sound a bit like cooking the books but extending a player’s contract is a sign of a club’s stability and profitability which FFP is trying to focus on.
So what will Chelsea FC do with all that money? Will they go for the big fish and splash the cash on a player like Paul Pogba or even, dare we say it, Lionel Messi? Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane is also a rumored target and he would cost considerably less than either Pogba or Messi. Whatever the case is or whoever they bring in, at least we will know that the Blues are keeping a comfortable distance from any FFP violations.
Next: Has Jamaal Charles Lost a Step?