Boehly to curb Chelsea spending due to financial fair play concerns

New Chelsea owner Todd Boehly warned that clubs will no longer be able to sign players for “any price” due to the tightening of UEFA’s financial fair play restrictions.

Boehly headed the consortium that bought the Premier League side in May after the UK government received assurances former Blues owners Roman Abramovich would not benefit financially.

Abramovich had put the club up for sale after being sanctioned following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Boehly and Clearlake Capital’s acquisition ending a 19-year spell for the Russian with Chelsea.

Chelsea were the most successful team during the Abramovich era, winning 21 major trophies, including five Premier League titles and two Champions League crowns.

That success came after significant investment from the Russian oligarch, but Boehly cannot foresee similar spending as Chelsea prepare for a new dawn under the American.

“Financial fair play is starting to get some teeth and that will limit ability to acquire players at any price,” Boehly said at the SuperReturn International conference in Berlin.

“UEFA takes it seriously and will continue to take it seriously. [More teeth] means financial penalties and disqualification from sporting competitions.”

Introducing our 22/23 PL schedule! #PLfixtures pic.twitter.com/1nWRn0Wn8L

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 16, 2022

Earlier in the week, LaLiga filed another UEFA complaint against Paris Saint-Germain over FFP breaches, as they did with Manchester City last April.

LaLiga chief Javier Tebas has repeatedly expressed his disappointment with the inflated spending levels, with PSG being taken to court over their actions.

That is perhaps why Boehly is considering alternate revenue channels to further aid the cause at Stamford Bridge, as he looks to bring an American-style thinking to English football.

“We think the global footprint of this sport is really undeveloped,” Boehly said. “There are four billion fans of European football. There are 170 million fans of NFL.

“Global club football is a fraction of the NFL media money. We are also going to be thinking about, how do we get more revenues for the players?

“If you look at [NBA’s] LeBron James, for example, he has a whole business and a whole team dedicated to what’s not on the court.

“So I think there is an opportunity to capture some of that American mentality into English sports and really develop them.”