Chelsea investigated over TWO transfers
Tom Weber
- 31 Oct 2023 04:31 CDT
- 3 min read
Chelsea are being investigated by the Premier League because of two high-profile transfers completed under Romano Abramovich in 2013.
The Russian oligarch relinquished control of the London club last year in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, selling the Blues to a consortium led by Todd Boehly. While the American ownership has had its fair share of questionable transfer dealings, the Premier League has now launched an investigation into two Abramovich-era deals.
The star signings of Willian and Samuel Eto'o were flagged by Boehly and company during the takeover process last year. Both arrived from free-spending Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala - which eventually ceased to exist - and financial reports suggest that the transactions involved payments to "Russian entities."
In 2013, Chelsea paid a whopping €35.5 million to land Willian, who is currently playing for Fulham, while Eto'o arrived in the same window on a free transfer, reportedly taking a massive pay cut. It is claimed that neither player was aware of the additional payments.
Chelsea statement
Chelsea released a statement on the matter, stating that none of the people implicated are still at the club. "These allegations pre-date the club's current ownership. They concern entities that were allegedly controlled by the club's former owner and do not relate to any individual who is presently at the club."
"Chelsea FC's ownership group completed its purchase of the club on May 30, 2022. During a thorough due diligence process prior to completion of the purchase, the ownership group became aware of potentially incomplete financial reporting concerning historical transactions during the club's previous ownership."
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"Immediately following the completion of the purchase, the club proactively self-reported these matters to all applicable football regulators. In accordance with the club's ownership group's core principles of full compliance and transparency, the club has proactively assisted the applicable regulators with their investigations and will continue to do so."
