The ASTRONOMICAL cost of Chelsea failing to qualify for Champions League

Suraj Radia

• 28 Feb 2023 11:37 CST
• 2 min read

Chelsea have spent more money on players this season than any other team previously but their high-risk gamble could backfire and send costs spiralling if the club misses out on Champions League qualification.

The Blues are in 10th place in the Premier League and a run of just two wins in their last 15 games has left Graham Potter’s side 14 points off the top four, closer to the relegation places.

Despite a spending more than £500 million since Todd Boehly bought the club last summer, the club are said to be privately confident that they will not be in breach of Financial Fair Play rules.

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However, the club will miss out on around £90m of revenue if they do not qualify for next season’s Champions League, with matchday income, broadcast revenue and commercial money all set to fall.

Chelsea would also lose a significant amount of prize money, having previously brought in £120m from winning the Champions League and Club World Cup in recent years.

The huge losses could further pile the pressure on Potter, who is still being backed by Chelsea’s board, although defeats to Leeds and Dortmund in the team’s next two games could dramatically change the situation.

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Chelsea were willing to spend big over the past two windows in order to set the team up for long-term success, with new player contracts spread across the long-term in order to ease the impact on FFP.

However, UEFA are set to close the loophole allowing Chelsea to offer their preferred seven-plus year contracts, meaning the excessive spending is likely to slow down irrespective of where the team finishes in the Premier League.

If the Blues do miss out on the top four though, they will almost certainly be out of the race for some of their ideal transfer targets such as Jude Bellingham.

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Players may need to be sold to cover losses, with academy graduates such as Trevoh Chalobah, Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher potentially options to leave as their transfer fees would count as pure profit under FFP rules.

Chelsea’s new incentive-driven contractual structure means that some of their current players will also be forced into paycuts should they fail to achieve Champions League football.

The club are also in talks to replace their shirt sponsor and were initially hoping to better their current £40m deal with Three to get something similar to Manchester City’s £67.5m agreement with Etihad, however a lack of exposure in Europe’s top competition could mean smaller offers and more financial strain on Chelsea going forward.