Pundit shares ‘big’ Chelsea claim as three more deals all but done
Chelsea can get “big” wages off the books by exploiting interest from Saudi Arabia.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former Tottenham and Aston Villa defender Alan Hutton said the Blues can now “get rid” of players who would not have commanded such a high fee in the past.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano (19 June), goalkeeper Edouard Mendy is the latest Chelsea player heading for Saudi Arabia.
Mendy has agreed personal terms with Al Ahli and a deal is expected to be done this week.
Hakim Ziyech and Kalidou Koulibaly are also closing in on moves to Al Nassr and Al Hillal respectively.
On Wednesday (21 June), Football Insider revealed that a number of clubs have expressed concerns over the relationship between the Blues and the Saudi Pro League.
But when asked if it is good business from the London club to exploit Saudi Arabian clubs’ willingness to spend big money on players, Hutton told Football Insider: “Absolutely.
“Some of the money that they are spending is quite incredible. The deals that they are offering wage-wise are astronomical, it is numbers you have never seen before.
“For Chelsea in the situation that they are in, knowing that they have to trim a bloated squad they can get rid of guys they probably would not have got a lot of money for.
“Get big wages off the books and then hopefully bring in the players they really need to kick on. If they can get some of the players out for some of the money they are talking about then happy days.“
In other news, Chelsea set for brutal 11 senior-player clearout – five deals all but done, six more close.