Why are Chelsea stockpiling so many young players – and can they afford it?
The accounting model makes sense because long-term contracts and amortization – the cost of spreading transfers over the long term – allows Chelsea to enable players like Caicedo to be at a relatively “lower” weekly, but he joined the UK transfer record of £115 million from Brighton in 2023.
Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk (Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk) joins Chelsea as Shakhtar Donetsk in 2023, up to £89 million (including add-ons), enjoying $97,000 per week on a 2031 contract.
But these longer contracts may be problematic.
Mudryk is currently suspended After testing for a positive ban. If convicted, he could face a four-year ban, while still having years of Chelsea deals.
Then, what if the player wants to go out? In the overlapping podcast, Jamie Carragher asked if there was a club that could afford Chelsea star Mann Cole Palmer.
Last year, organizers Contract renewal until 2033But Carragher said he could see the 22-year-old “frustration” with some teammates who were underperforming.
“It reminds me of Liverpool’s Steve (Gerard) because he’s a lot better than everyone else, and he’s frustrated. Steve is a local player, but he’s never leaving, and Cole Palmer doesn’t.
“This is when I go back to those eight years of contracts and whether they are good for the club and the players.
“If you’re Palmer, he has six to seven years left in the deal, and he should play for a team that wants to win the Champions League, how can he get out?”
This is an unknown territory, and despite its meaning on the balance sheet, is the human side ignored?
There are also some young players like Cesare Casadei, Renato Veiga and Carney Chukwuemeka who all left Chelsea in January, and multiple young stars are fighting for the same roles due to the lack of all kinds of frustrations of minutes.
Forward Christopher Nkunku was offered by other clubs and other players in January (such as midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury -Hall), who joined only last summer – faced uncertainty before the next transfer window.
