Former Chelsea star Joe Cole insists the club's financial missteps should be not be held against the players who helped the Blues win silverware under Roman Abramovich.
Chelsea’s current owners reported finding more than £47million of undisclosed transfer payments when they took the reins in 2022, covering the 2011-2018 period that brought two Premier League titles and four other trophies to Stamford Bridge.
A sanction agreement with the Premier League has seen Chelsea fined £10.75million and given a suspended one-year transfer ban.
No asterisk has been placed against their on-field achievements, despite under-the-counter deals being involved in signings including Eden Hazard, Ramires, David Luiz, Samuel Eto’o and Willian, and Cole believes that is how it should be.
"When you step on those white lines, that’s the only pure thing left in football," he told TNT Sports.
"There’s a group of players (that) come together and go through a whole season in the toughest league in the world or a European competition and you win something.
"You can’t take that away from the players.
"There’ll be people up and down the country, other clubs and supporters going 'it’s not really fair’. But what’s been done has been done.
"The financial irregularities need to have a financial punishment. But the group of players and manager that steps over the white line? They deserve to win the trophies."
Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Watch Liverpool v Galatasaray in the Champions League on Wednesday from 7.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on the RTÉ News app and on rte.ie/sport