Chelsea facing big ‘problems’ over mega contracts handed to Cole Palmer & co.
Chelsea could face long-term issues in the transfer market with the lengths of contracts they hand out to players.
That is according to ex-Everton, Aston Villa, and Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, amid Chelsea stars wanting to begin talks over new deals at Stamford Bridge.
Cole Palmer could be looking to agree a new Chelsea deal, with the 23-year-old having been linked with a shock switch to Manchester United in January.
Chelsea have one of the highest wage bills among Premier League clubs, although their total did drop from £404million to £338m in their last published accounts.
Expert has ‘concerns’ over Chelsea
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes Chelsea are “storing up problems” for the future.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness is still unsure how Chelsea’s “experiment” will work out.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “I’ve always thought you’re storing up problems with that length of contract.
“Certainly now, with those players, if they’ve got another six, seven years left on that contract at the higher rate, that becomes a problem that Chelsea are storing up for down the road, because it’ll be harder to move those players on now at any valuation.
“So they’re going to be with them for a long time. Anyway, it’s still the Chelsea experiment. Even after this period of time, we’re still saying is this going to work out? And we probably won’t know to be honest for the next two or three years until we see exactly how the whole thing pans out.
“There was merit in the thought initially. But I’ve always had my concerns that it could just end up kicking cans down the road and storing up problems. And I think that may well still come back to be the case.”
Chelsea set Cole Palmer price tag
Man United would have to pay a British record fee to sign Palmer, with Chelsea having no plans to let the forward leave.
Alexander Isak’s move to Liverpool currently holds the British transfer record at £125m, whilst Man United may not even be able to afford that sum amid financial problems at Old Trafford.
Either way, Man United may have to replace Bruno Fernandes in the summer, and Palmer has developed into one of the Premier League’s best players.