EXPLAINED: How Chelsea spent £445 million and still didn’t breach FFP rules?

Chelsea’s signing of Mykhaylo Mudryk took their spending to £445 million for the season, a new record. The Blues have surpassed the previous record set at £328 million by Manchester City, and this has left fans wondering how they can still comply with Financial Fair Play rules. 

The Premier League FFP rules allow a loss worth £105 million for a three-year period, minus spends on infrastructure women’s teams, academies and community projects. 

How Chelsea spent £445 million and still didn’t breach FFP rules?

If you’ve been paying attention to Chelsea’s recruits, you’ll be aware that they have signed some very long contracts. Mudryk has penned one of the longest deals, at eight and a half years, while Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana have signed seven year deals. 

Mudryk’s £88 million fee is hence divided by 8 and a half years, which amounts to roughly £10 million per year. And this is well within Financial Fair Play rules. 

David Datro Fofana has also signed a seven year contract while Marc Cucurella, Cesare Casadei and Carney Chukwuemeka have signed six year contracts. 

What these lengthy deals allow for is to spread the transfer fees evenly over the years. And this helps reduce the yearly expense that the club has to bear for transfers. 

The money acquired from player sales and accomplishments such as their Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup and top four finishes has helped compensate for these expenses. And overall, reduce the losses that the club would have had to bear. 

This season, though, the West London outfit are struggling in the Premier League and are currently tenth in the table. If they fail to qualify for the Champions League, Chelsea will no doubt have less money to spend. But, this season’s signings could make up for any restrictions in the coming year.