Action Images via Reuters / John Sibley Livepic
In a new explosive interview, former Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has claimed that the Blues should be stripped of their 2016/17 Premier League title. The current USMNT boss said it should retrospectively be awarded to Tottenham Hotspur, who he was coaching at the time.
He explained: “We should win one Premier League, we should have been awarded it. If that [Chelsea’s rule-break] was true, then we deserve to be champions that year, for sure. They were punished, they admitted it? So that’s it. The title should be for the team that was second."
Pochettino was referencing the rules Chelsea broke between 2009 and 2022, when the club were found guilty of using unlicensed agents and seeking to obscure the nature of their transfer business. For punishment, the Blues were fined £10.75m by the Premier League in March, and were also fined £10m by the FA with a suspended two-window transfer ban.
While it doesn't look as though the West London side will be stripped of any titles won during that 13-year period, it's fascinating to see who would have won those 12 trophies instead.
New Premier League Winners
‘I Played in Sir Alex Ferguson’s Final Man Utd Game - Now I Work in a Bank’
Chelsea have won five titles in the Premier League era, with three of them coming between 2009 and 2022. As mentioned, Spurs came second in 2016/17, so they could have claimed their first-ever Premier League title if it weren't for the cheating.
The Blues also benefited in 2009/10, finishing on 86 points, just one point above Manchester United. If they were stripped of that triumph, Sir Alex Ferguson would extend his record league trophies from 13 to 14.
In between those two title wins, Chelsea also lifted the prize in 2014/15. That season, Eden Hazard was named as the PFA Player of the Year, which is interesting as his transfer was among those found to have transgressed the rules. Manchester City came second as a result.
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New Premier League Winners
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2009/10
2014/15
2016/17
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New Champions League Winners
Manchester City's Erling Haaland lifts the Champions League trophy.
Chelsea have also won two Champions League titles in their history, with both coming between 2009 and 2022. The first came at the expense of Bayern Munich in 2012, with Petr Cech making himself a club legend as he saved a penalty in extra-time and then two more in the shootout.
The Blues then denied Man City their first-ever Champions League triumph in 2021, with Kai Havertz scoring the only goal of the game late in the first half. Pep Guardiola would later win the tournament in 2023, but may feel as though he shouldn't have been made to wait so long before delivering the award to the Etihad.
New Champions League Winners
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2012
2021
New Europa League Winners
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Sticking in Europe, Chelsea have also won the Europa League on two occasions during the period in question. The first came in 2013 as they beat Benfica 2-1 in the final. The Portuguese side have never won the competition.
The Blues then beat London rivals Arsenal 4-1 in the 2019 final. The Gunners have also never won that prize before, although they did have Unai Emery in charge at the time, and that was the only time he's ever lost a Europa League final out of six attempts.
New Europa League Winners
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2013
2019
New FA Cup Winners
Nwankwo Kanu celebrating Portsmouth FA Cup win.
Chelsea boosted their trophy cabinet with FA Cups in the same time frame. The first came in 2009, as Everton were denied in a 2-1 defeat. The Toffees last won that award in 1995 and have not lifted any major silverware since.
The following year, the Blues went all the way to the final again, this time beating Portsmouth 1-0 thanks to a single goal from Didier Drogba. Pompey had actually won the award in 2008, so it would have been a remarkable era for the club if they had sealed two FA Cup titles in the span of a few years.
In 2012, Liverpool were denied as Andy Carroll's strike was not enough to overcome Roberto di Matteo's team, who won 2-1 at Wembley, with Drogba and Ramires on the scoresheet. Finally, the club lifted the 2018 FA Cup after Hazard netted a 22nd-minute penalty. This was enough to see Manchester United fall to a 1-0 defeat
New FA Cup Winners
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2009
2010
2012
2018
Louis Saha
Louis Saha
New League Cup Winners
Pochettino at Tottenham
Adding to their notable trophy haul of the era, Chelsea also lifted the League Cup in 2015. Once again, Tottenham Hotspur were denied by the Blues, losing 2-0 after goals from John Terry and Diego Costa.
It's interesting that Pochettino did not directly mention this game in his recent interview. Speaking more generally about the Premier League, he said: