Todd Boehly is continuing to splash the cash as he tries to help Chelsea climb up the Premier League table in what has been a tough season under Graham Potter, with Noni Madueke the latest body through the door.
It’s been an incredibly busy January transfer window for Chelsea as they have already signed six players this month – and there is still a week to go until it slams shut.
At an average age of just over 20, it’s clear the Blues are going for a different approach to previous years and are building for the future rather than the present. Their spending so far this month has equated to nearly 39 per cent of all Premier League expenditure in January.
Todd Boehly has invested heavily in the Chelsea squad so far in the January transfer window
Mykhailo Mudryk has been the headline signing, costing the club a whopping £88.6million
The move comes after three years of not spending a penny in the winter window.
Of course, the club had to deal with an embargo under Frank Lampard, which will have contributed to that. And It’s not massively common that big deals are done in January anyway.
But it is unusual not to spend money three Januarys in a row. Boehly invested nearly £250million on players such as Raheem Sterling, Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana in the summer, and he’s gone hard again this month.
He may have a different method of doing business, but he’s certainly doing that business – although his way of working has caught the eye of UEFA bigwigs.
Chelsea have been able to splurge on players and stay within FFP rules by spreading out the cost of the signings over long contracts. Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk was given the longest deal in Premier League history when he signed for eight-and-a-half years following his £88.6 move from Shakhtar Donetsk.
But UEFA are set to close that loophole following complaints from a number of top-flight clubs.
New Chelsea boss Graham Potter (centre) has been backed massively by Boehly this month
According to FIFA statutes, clubs are only permitted to give players contracts of up to five years, but Chelsea have been routinely handing out far longer deals this season.
Chelsea have got round FIFA’s restrictions by registering the additional years in each player’s contract as a club-triggered option to extend, but some of their Premier League rivals are convinced this is really a ruse to circumnavigate FFP.
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