UEFA taking action on Chelsea’s massive January signings spending spree
3 min read
According to reports, UEFA, with Chelsea as their main concern, took advantage of the January transfer window by awarding long-term contracts.
Chelsea January signings: This month alone, the Blues have signed six players. Permanent signings include David Datro Fofana, Andrey Santos, Benoit Badiashile, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Noni Madueke, while Joao Felix is on loan from Atletico Madrid.
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has thrown his support behind manager Graham Potter despite the club’s poor start to the season, which has landed them in 10th place in the Premier League. The spread of the payments is how they were able to spend so much.
Mudryk, for example, signed the longest contract in English football history when he agreed to an eight-and-a-half-year deal. That means his £80 million fee will be calculated at £9.41 million using UEFA’s FFP formula.
According to the New York Times, this will change in the coming months. The governing body of European football will implement a five-year maximum time limit for a transfer fee to be paid. The new policy will be implemented prior to the summer transfer window.
Contracts should be no longer than five years, unless a country’s law allows for longer terms. In the United Kingdom, there are currently no restrictions.
Chelsea will not be barred from deferring payments for players they have already signed.
Datro Fofana and Badiashile have contracts for seven and a half years and six and a half years, respectively. Wesley Fofana, who joined from Leicester City in the summer, has signed a seven-year contract with the club.
“It simply pushes a problem into the future. Either a club is stuck with a player on a high salary who they can’t sell, or if they sell him after three or four years, they won’t make much profit [in accounting terms] because a large portion of his transfer fee hasn’t been amortised.”
Potter admitted earlier this month that dipping into the market at every opportunity won’t solve Chelsea’s problems.
Liverpool planning to swap Chelsea’s midfielder for a January transfer
Potter also stated that he does not have the final say on incomings.
“I don’t think it’s as simple as saying they’re mine,” he said after Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Liverpool.
It is extremely difficult for the head coach to have command over these targets and a list of players who are ‘yours‘.
“I think my job is to support the club, which is a recruitment team, ownership group, whether it’s transfers, daily environment, or winning matches.
“It’s a club, we’re trying to win together as a club. While I have an opinion on everything, I’m not the guy who sits in a room and makes all of the decisions.”
