Adam Williams has exclusively told TBR Football that, based on what the club is set to do moving forward, some Chelsea players could be unsettled.
The Blues have splashed the cash in recent years, bringing in top-quality players from around the world, and that has set expectations among fans for what they will do in each transfer window.
Chelsea fans constantly expect new signings to freshen up the squad, and they will also look at the January transfer window in that way.
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However, Todd Boehly and Clearlake might have differing opinions on the upcoming transfer window, which could cause problems for the current squad.
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly gives the thumbs up to fans at Stamford Bridge
Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images
Exclusive: Chelsea’s January transfer plan revealed
TBR Football’s finance expert, Adam Williams, explained how Chelsea are going to operate in January, and how a financial settlement with UEFA is going to impact them.
He said: “Chelsea’s problem going into January is that the financial settlement that they have agreed with UEFA is hanging over them.
“This year, the measures in that settlement aren’t too extreme, but they need to cut their cloth to get within the financial parameters that UEFA has outlined for the next few seasons.
“They are trading players at an unprecedented volume, which is clearly part of BlueCo’s vision of how to outsmart everyone else.
“You can see where they are coming from, treating players like assets in a portfolio. However, this isn’t Football Manager. If you continue to have such a high squad churn, I think it’s eventually going to unsettle players, and Chelsea aren’t going to be seen as a destination club.
“What’s more, their strategy focuses so much on young players, and there might be plenty of youngsters who look at how some players have been neglected at Chelsea and treated like trading chips and say: ‘That’s not for me.’
“Premier League PSR is a non-issue for them for as long as they can sell tangible assets – another hotel, the women’s team, and so on, to themselves to book an artificial profit, but UEFA’s rules are going to be more limiting.
“They are owned by private equity big-brains, however, and the M.O. of that industry is very much ‘move fast and break things’. They don’t mind breaking rules as long as, when the time comes to exit their investment, they are up on the deal. So I’d expect to see more scheming to get around the rules going forward.
“Specifically in terms of their January budget, based on what we know about the finances and what we’re hearing about their strategy on the grapevine, I wouldn’t expect there to be much of a budget to be played with. If there is a real value opportunity that they see, I don’t doubt that they will go for it, but the same will be true of potential sales.”
January could see Chelsea sales take place
Given that Chelsea are seemingly open to potential sales taking place in January for the right fee, the upcoming transfer window could be a time for players to be sold to boost Chelsea’s status with UEFA.
Chelsea will want to wrap up Raheem Sterling’s future if possible due to the financial burden he has become on the club, given that Enzo Maresca has no plans for him.
The same can be said for Axel Disasi, who has also been part of Chelsea’s ‘bomb squad,’ but current squad members could also be on the chopping block if the Blues deem it necessary.
Chelsea have a large squad that could be trimmed down if that is the right financial decision, and that could make the current stars nervous.