Chelsea could potentially choose to accept a ban from European competition instead of adhering to stricter financial restrictions if they win the Carabao Cup. The reasoning behind this decision could be attributed to the belief that participation in the Europa Conference League would not yield significant financial returns for the club.
There are reports suggesting that Chelsea might consider negotiating a deal with UEFA to voluntarily accept a ban from European competition as a cost-saving measure.
If Chelsea secures victory in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool on Sunday, they would qualify for the Europa Conference League qualifying rounds.
This would subject them to Europe’s stricter financial restrictions, which surpass those in the Premier League.
Chelsea financial restrictions
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire suggested to The Athletic that Chelsea, facing the prospect of not making significant money from Europe’s third competition, could potentially follow AC Milan’s example from the 2019/20 season.
AC Milan agreed with UEFA to voluntarily withdraw from European competition for a year, providing the club with more financial flexibility. Maguire indicates that such a strategic move might be in Chelsea’s interests, allowing them greater financial freedom.
Including the aspect where they committed over £2.5billion (3.1bn) to buy the club from Roman Abramovich in May 2022 plus a further ten years of control with more than £1billion ($1.2bn) being put towards the infrastructure and continued development of the entire club and its numerous teams, few thought that the transformation we have seen would ensue.
Many were sceptical of the amount that the consortium, headed by three American businessmen, would plunge into day-to-day activities at Stamford Bridge but that feeling has very quickly died down.
Here, Sportsbuddy rates each of the three transfer windows so far with each player ranked between 1-10 for their impact and effectiveness at the club.
Chelsea summer 2022 signings
Kalidou Koulibaly (£35m, Napoli) 4, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£12m, Barcelona) 2, Omari Hutchinson (free, Arsenal) N/A, Marc Cucurella (£60m, Brighton) 1, Wesley Fofana (£70m, Leicester) 6, Raheem Sterling (£45m, Manchester City) 6, Denis Zakaria (loan, Juventus) 4, Carney Chukwuemeka (£15m, Aston Villa) 6, Gabriel Slonina (£12m, Chicago Fire) N/A, Cesare Casadei (£20m, Inter) N/A
The initial summer of the new era has been described as disastrous, with only four of the signed players remaining in the first-team squad this season.
The transfer of Cucurella is criticized as one of the club’s worst value deals in its history. Additionally, the decisions to part ways with Aubameyang and Koulibaly are seen as indicators of the challenging situation the club faced during that period.
The changes from top-to-bottom of Chelsea, who were reigning world and European champions at the time, has been unprecedented and happened at lightspeed.
The financial dynamics of the Europa Conference League can be challenging for clubs.
After factoring in players bonuses, transportation, accommodation, and other expenses associated with participating in the competition, the actual profit for clubs like Chelsea may be relatively minimal.
This contributes to the consideration of strategic decisions, such as potentially agreeing with UEFA to step out of European competition for a year to achieve greater financial flexibility.
The recent change in rules, allowing clubs to amortize transfer fees over a five-year period, has financial implications for Chelsea.
Although they currently amortize fees over eight years, the new regulation, applicable since January for Premier League clubs, will impact future transfers.
Implications for chelsea qualifying
For instance, if Chelsea qualifies for Europe, they will need to amortize fees over five years instead of the current eight.
In this context, the financial considerations for Chelsea participating in the Europa Conference League may not align with the club’s interests, especially given the hassle involved.
The rule changes add another layer to the complex financial landscape that clubs, particularly of Chelsea’s stature, must navigate.
Whereas Chelsea earned £82m from getting to the last 16 of the Champions League in 2022/23, West Ham gained just £16m for winning the Europa Conference League.
