Todd Boehly has spent £1bn on new signings since taking over Chelsea from Roman Abramovich in the summer of 2022. The 50-year-old American businessman has brought in 30 players in three transfer windows, opting for young talent on long-term contracts, but reports suggest he might be changing the transfer policy.
Alan Nixon of The Sun says Chelsea are seeking a £500m loan from US financial institutions. The move comes a day after the Blues confirmed Infinite Athlete as their shirt sponsors for the season. The deal will earn them £40m for the year, but the proposed loan would soften the blow from Boehly’s uncontrolled spending.
Is Boehly getting a change of heart?
Chelsea signed Wesley Fofana (£73m from Leicester City), Marc Cucurella (£62m from Brighton), Raheem Sterling (£47.5m from Man City), Kalidou Koulibaly (£34m from SSC Napoli), Carney Chukwuemeka (£20m from Aston Villa), Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang (£12m from Barcelona), Gabriel Slonina (£9m from Chicago Fire) and Denis Zakaria (£3m loan fee from Juventus) in the summer of 2022.
They brought in Enzo Fernandez (£106.7m from Benfica), Mykhailo Mudryk (£88m from Shakhtar Donetsk), Benoit Badiashille (£35m from AS Monaco), Noni Madueke (£29m from PSV Eindhoven), Malo Gutso (£26m from Olympique Lyonnais), Andrey Santos (£18m from Vasco da Gama), David Fofana (£8m from Molde FK) and Joao Felix (£9.7m loan fee from Atletico Madrid) in January 2023.
And Chelsea signed Moises Caciedo (£115m from Brighton & Hove Albion), Romeo Lavia (£58m from Southampton), Christopher Nkunku (£52m from RB Leipzig), Cole Palmer (£42.5m from Man City), Axel Disasi (£38m from AS Monaco), Nicolas Jackson (£32m from Villarreal), Robert Sanchez (£25m from Brighton), Lesley Ugochukwu (£23.8m from Stade Rennais), Deivid Washington (£17m from Santos), Angelo (£16.8m from Santos), Dorde Petrovic (£12.5m from New England), Jimmy-Jay Morgan (£6m from Southampton), Ishe Samuels-Smith (£4m from Everton) and Tyler Dibling (£1.5m from Southampton) this summer.
Could Chelsea have revenue problems if they keep underperforming?
Chelsea are currently 11th in the Premier League table after seven games and don’t look likely to finish in a European spot. The Blues aren’t in any continental competition this season, so they’re losing out on a lot of broadcasting money. This might be why Boehly wants investment from elsewhere, as Chelsea aren’t close to being self-sufficient.
The Blues have been aggressive selling deadwood to help fund their new arrivals, generating £290m in player sales in the last three windows, but it doesn’t appear to be enough for Boehly. Pochettino recently commented on Chelsea’s transfer activity, intimating he has targets he wants in January, so is the spending finished? Is Boehly considering a more thrifty approach?
