Everton deducted 10 points in record-breaking punishment
Chelsea will be watching on nervously along with Manchester City as the dust settles from Everton’s damaging 10-point deduction this season, leaving them in danger of relegation. That is because the punishment could be far greater for the Premier League duo, with accusations of breaching Financial Fair Play rules in the top-flight. They now face scrutiny over their dealings, with the threat of a catastrophic relegation hanging perilously above them.
It is a scenario that no Chelsea fan would ever want to entertain. The club have been part of the Premier League fabric since its conception in 1992 and their five titles between 2004-05 and 2016-17 speak to its dominance at different points under Roman Abramovich.
But their success could also come at a price, particularly as the Russian’s dealings are being scrutinised while he was owner of the club. Allegations have been made that the billionaire made secret payments off the books involving transfers, and if they are proven to be true, the Blues face the threat of a heavy punishment if they are found to have breached the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
It is an issue Todd Boehly’s ownership group BlueCo have been keen to resolve since it surfaced in their due diligence checks, yet it is under their rule that the club could slide into the second tier for the first time since 1991. With the potential threat of points deductions and even relegation on the cards, Express Sport imagines what life could look like for Chelsea in the worst case scenario…
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Player exodus
Chelsea have splashed out over £1billion on players since Boehly’s arrival in May 2022 and snapped up some big names in the process, breaking the £100million barrier twice in the space of eight months. But no one would seriously expect players such as Enzo Fernandez, Christopher Nkunku, Moises Caicedo and Mykhaylo Mudryk to stay at the club, despite only signing their eight-year contracts a year ago.
For one, Chelsea would need to drastically cut their wage bill – meaning anyone on over £80,000-a-week would need to go, which applies to two-thirds of their squad. And in the players’ minds, there is no reason to stick around at a club that would have to wait two seasons just to have the chance to qualify for European competition again.
The best thing about promoting Cobham graduates such as Reece James, Conor Gallagher and Armando Broja to the first team is their loyalty to the club. Much like Juventus when the club were demoted to the Serie B after the Calciopoli scandal in 2006, some of the Italian club’s biggest names including Gianluigi Buffon and Alessandro Del Piero remained in Turin. James, Gallagher and Broja may feel that same obligation to stick around and try to haul Chelsea back into the top flight, but there is no doubt relegation would spark a huge rush for the exit.
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Losing their best coach in years
Chelsea have appointed a host of fine managers over the years before their acrimonious departures, and Maurizio Sarri remains the only boss to have left Stamford Bridge on his own terms after joining Juventus in 2019. Pochettino could follow suit if the west London club dropped out of the Premier League.
Pochettino is a loyal character, as proven by his five-year stint with Tottenham when he remained with the club while Real Madrid and Manchester United tried to lure him to their respective dugouts. But as a top coach, it would do Pochettino a disservice to his own profile as a manager to force him to work in the second tier for at least one season.
Much like how Carlo Ancelotti jumped ship at Everton as soon as Real came calling, few could blame Pochettino for clutching onto the life thrown to him from one of Europe’s elite if the Chelsea ship starts to sink.
Struggle to return
How many clubs have sunk to the Championship and just… stayed there?
It is one of the toughest, most competitive leagues in the world and putting together a promotion challenge requires as much grit as it does finesse, not only with signings but finding the right balance between a solid backline and free-scoring attack.
Teams such as Bolton, Sunderland and Coventry have all suffered financial problems since leaving the Premier League and none of those three clubs have won promotion back to the top flight. The initial relegation will be quick and painful, but the journey back to the top would represent a massive challenge – even for a club of Chelsea’s reputation.
New stadium plans shelved
Reductions in prize money, sponsorship and gate receipts will all be heavily affected as they slip into the Championship and the timing probably couldn’t be worse to begin redeveloping Stamford Bridge.
Boehly had promised to invest billions into the club to ensure their beloved home could be taken into the 21st Century. Alas, attendances are likely to fall in the scenario where they drop out of the Premier League and it would be hard to justify building a 60,000-seater arena when their future is uncertain.
After years of delays and planning permission failures, Chelsea might be tempted to abandon their plans altogether.
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