Chelsea face transfer ban as expert predicts record FFP breach

Stuart Telford

• 27 Aug 2023 10:33 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea could be banned from making transfers next summer with their spending going way beyond what is allowed by the Premier League since Todd Boehly took control of the club.

Chelsea have spent £872 million on players since a consortium led by American billionaire Boehly took over the club in May 2022, which is more than twice as much as next-biggest spenders Manchester United (£378) over the same period.

The Blues did raise £220m through player sales this summer, with the likes of Kai Havertz and Mason Mount leaving the club for Premier League rivals, while new players have signed long-term contracts, allowing Chelsea to spread their cost over multiple years.

READ: How much have Chelsea spent on transfers so far this summer?

But even given that, Chelsea face Premier League sanctions having gone way beyond their Profitability and Sustainability regulations this year, according to the popular football finance account on Twitter, @SwissRamble.

Rumbled by Swiss Ramble?

"Even using my somewhat optimistic assumptions, Chelsea are a long way above the P&S limit in 2023/24," he wrote.

"The projected loss over the three-year monitoring period is £323 million, which can be reduced by £122m of allowable deductions, but still giving a £201m P&S loss, i.e. almost twice as much as the maximum allowed."

READ: WATCH: Pochettino DOESN'T KNOW who 'DISAPPEARED' Chelsea stars are

Chelsea could face a points deduction and even a transfer ban next summer if the above projections are correct.

Chelsea were hit with a two-window transfer ban in late 2019 after 150 rule breaches involving 69 academy players, but bounced back to win the Champions League under Thomas Tuchel in 2021.

With so many players in their squad - Mauricio Pochettino recently looked puzzled when asked about Malang Sarr - the need for more bodies at Stamford Bridge is questionable anyway, so one window off might be a good thing.