Chelsea’s £600 million gamble

Enzo Fernandez is Chelsea’s record signature. Image: Archyde.com.

Chelsea went through a few relatively quiet transfer windows before Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich was forced to sell the club. But now, the transfer story of the London team is consuming more media than ever: the long-term installment deals, the contracts with great benefits, how Chelsea did it. spent up to £ 620 million in the transfer market?

However, perhaps the more important question at the moment is: Why is Chelsea implementing such a transfer policy?

Chelsea spent a month negotiating with Benfica but still signed Enzo Fernandez for 120 million euros. Image: Archyde.com.

Chelsea not on the right track?

No matter how clever the terms are, Chelsea will still have to pay the amount they have agreed to bring new players to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s spending clearly shows the “spirit” of the club following being bought by a super-billionaire like Todd Boehly. Compared to the Chelsea frame of reference, the small amount of money that the Saudi Public Investment Fund has spent to gradually rebuild Newcastle is a disappointment.

During Abramovich’s 19 years at Chelsea, he spent an average of £900,000 a week building the club. Under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, they won’t just lose money. These entrepreneurs have embarked on the game with “one-of-a-kind” investments, but private equity firms like Todd’s won’t bet their fate on a sports club like Chelsea.

Certainly, the American boss will not just “throw money out the window” to bring in players worth hundreds of millions of pounds and encrusted with diamonds for their dressing room. Todd Boehly and his group are capitalists who are investing in Chelsea for profit.

However, is Clearlake Capital doing well in its Chelsea business? In the last winter transfer window, they failed to loan Hakim Ziyech to Paris Saint-Germain because of three contract violations.

They also spent a month negotiating with Benfica regarding the transfer of Enzo Fernandez but still had to pay the 120 million euro release clause as Benfica offered at the beginning of the transfer window.

In that month, Chelsea played a total of 6 matches, won only one, were eliminated from the FA Cup and were 10 points behind the Champions League group on the Premier League table. The amount Chelsea had to pay Enzo Fernadez should have been somewhat reduced to deserve that one month delay.

Chelsea manager Graham Potter said last month: “The new owners of the club are billionaires, so they have to be very smart. Definitely smarter than me.”

Assuming Mr. Graham Potter’s words are true, that Boehly and Clearlake co-founder Behdad Eghbali are business geniuses. So what are the opportunities they are targeting? How can the huge expenditures in the transfer market be profitable for investors in Clearlake (1 of which is Saudi PIF – the holding group of Newcastle)?

One huge source of revenue that can be targeted by Chelsea in the future is FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s plan to host the Club World Cup from 2025. With the support from investors from Saudi Arabia, the tournament will help 32 participating teams earn great profits.

Another opportunity that can come to Chelsea is that the Super League is undergoing modifications and may take place in the near future. However, Chelsea fans from the Roman Abramovich era and President Todd Boehly himself disagree with this project.

However, perhaps the Premier League itself is gradually becoming a tournament similar to the Super League. Last winter’s transfer window, not only Chelsea but even Southampton, who are at the bottom of the Premier League table, also spent more money than 4 other leagues in the top 5 national championship system in Europe. total.