BOEHLY’S BIG BUYS
Chelsea owner smashes City’s transfer spending record
THE Todd Boehly era of transfer excess is showing no signs of slowing down.
Chelsea’s incredible €120m beat-thedeadline bid for Benfica’s Argentina World Cup winning midfielder Enzo Fernandez will potentially take them towards a mind-boggling spending record.
Incredibly, Chelsea owner Boehly is on course to spend €740m in the 2022/23 season which is nearly DOUBLE the previous gross record of €375m set by Manchester City in 2017/18.
And Chelsea will almost single-handedly help the Premier League break all January transfer spending records in this window.
US billionaire Boehly knew he had a rebuilding job on his hands when he took over the club last summer from former owner Roman Abramovich.
But no-one seriously expected him to try and do it in two windows. And they are flashing the cash despite being on UEFA’s Financial Fair Play“watch list”for this season.
They have blown their Premier League rivals away in the market – and yet the reality is that even Chelsea fans are not exactly sure what their best starting line-up will look like.
Certain
But one thing is for certain, they will never go short of centre halves or wingers – and if any of them can play in goal then that might help.
The problem for Boehly is that every selling club can see Chelsea coming a mile off.
Benfica have got Fernandez tied down to a contract with a €120m buyout clause.
Chelsea tried earlier in the window, failed and have come back for another go. They are trying to buy Fernandez in instalments spread out over the course of his contract at Stamford Bridge.
That is very common in big deals but it is highly unusual for clubs to hand players six, seven and eight year deals in the way Chelsea have.
It is all a Financial Fair Play ploy to allow them to spread the cost – an €90m transfer would only take up €11.4m-a-year if they are on an eight year deal.
Chelsea could still offload players and if they are signing or dealing in homegrown players then, again, they get further relief.
But the issue for Chelsea is that there is no room for error. The players have to work because any loss comes out of their FFP allowance.
FIFA are now looking at closing the contract loophole which allows clubs to hand out lengthy deals which include extension options.
But incredibly, the sums add up and
Chelsea are confident they will fall into line with FFP.
What is more baffling is when you look down at the list of signings and ask: who truly excites you? Mykhailo Mudryk could be a generational talent.
Joao Felix is hugely exciting but is on loan. Christopher Nkunku could be very good when he arrives in the summer.
They did good business on Raheem Sterling from Manchester City for €54m but Wesley Fofana looks a huge price at €85m.
Target
Kalidou Koulibaly was a perennial transfer target for Premier League clubs and his ability on the ball - or lack of it - might show why others decided against it. But is there a best starting XI emerging from all the transfer business? It is hard to see it.
Now, Fernandez is the next cab off the rank. But was he really mind blowing at the World Cup?
They had exceptional players – like Lionel Messi and Emiliano Martinez – but Fernandez was not a game changer. He was another cog in the machine.
Boehly apparently thinks money can buy success. Whereas so far, the Premier League table – with Chelsea sat in tenth – would suggest otherwise.
BOEHLY’S BUYS THIS SEASON...
Marc Cucurella Brighton, €70m, Raheem Sterling Man City, €54m, Eddie Beach Southampton, undisc, Gabriel Slonina Chicago Fire, €9m, Kalidou Koulibaly Napoli, €38m, Omari Hutchinson Arsenal, free, Carney Chukwuemeka Villa, €23m, Cesare Casadei Inter Milan, €19m, Wesley Fofana Leicester, €85m, P-E Aubameyang Barcelona, €11.75m, Denis Zakaria Juventus, €2.9m loan fee, Christopher Nkunku RB Leipzig, €71.75m (joins in the summer), Benoit Badiashile Monaco, €40m, David Datro Fofana Molde, €11.4m, Andrey Santos Vasco da Gama, €12.5m, Joao Felix Atletico Madrid, €11m loan fee, Mykhailo Mudryk Shakhtar Donetsk €100m, Noni Madueke PSV Eindhoven €33m, Malo Gusto Lyon, €30m (joins in the summer).
TOTAL SPENT: €622.3m