Stefan Borson: Chelsea could ‘pounce’ to agree signing amid ‘extraordinary’ verdict
Chelsea have been unconventional in the transfer market since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over the club in May 2022.
Chelsea spent heavily again in the recent summer transfer window as the club’s hierarchy looked to back manager Enzo Maresca.
Stamford Bridge chiefs balanced out their spending after Chelsea smashed the record for player sales in a single window, having brought in more than £290million following a series of departures.
However, The Athletic reported on 2 December the Blues are not planning to add to their first team in January, with the focus more on bringing in new signings next summer.
Chelsea have completed ‘extraordinary’ deals
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider Chelsea could “pounce” if the right transfer opportunity comes along in January despite the restrictions they are facing.
Chelsea were fined £26.7m by Uefa over the summer for breaching its financial rules, with the club facing a further £51.2m penalty if they don’t comply with the rules in the next four years.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the Blues signing players in January, Borson said: “I wouldn’t rule it out because Chelsea don’t do things in a conventional way, but let’s be clear, they’ve been right up at the boundaries of most of these tests.
“They’ve only got through them, as we know, with some extraordinary transactions. They’ve got to be mindful of what’s coming down the line in terms of squad cost ratios, which will limit the number of options that they have for how they can comply.
“They have a huge amortisation in that calculation that they can’t easily deal with. They will be more limited in terms of what they can do on transfers out because clearly if you sell loads and loads of players, you have less to sell where you can make a profit.”
Chelsea have sold several young stars in recent years to help them boost their player-trading profits.
Chelsea to be limited after Uefa reveal
Borson insisted the Blues’ settlement agreement with Uefa will limit their spending in January.
“They’ve got a very high wage bill,” said Borson.
“It’s not a surprise that they will be limited in January because they’re also under a Uefa settlement agreement, where they’ve got to move towards complying with the Uefa rules.
“So, none of it’s a surprise, but likewise, Chelsea are the kind of club where if they opportunistically see something, it wouldn’t surprise me if they pounced.”
Maresca’s side currently sit fourth in the Premier League table, eight points behind leaders Arsenal after 16 games.
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