Chelsea & Arsenal lead Premier League clubs in losses amid FFP concerns

Chelsea have recorded the second-highest losses of any club in world football in terms of non-academy players signed and sold over the past nine years.

The revelation emerged from a recent report by the CIES Football Observatory, exposing the 50 most unprofitable football clubs across the globe between 2014 and 2023.

While the Blues rank second globally behind La Liga champions Barcelona, they take the lead among their fellow Premier League clubs, accruing a substantial €483 million (£413m) loss.

Chelsea have invested heavily, spending approximately €1.2 billion on acquiring new talent at Stamford Bridge, including notable signings such as Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, both costing over £100m. 

However, their player sales amounted to just €730m (£624m), resulting in significant losses, especially on players such as Danny Drinkwater and Tiemoue Bakayoko among others.

Arsenal are in third place, spending considerably less at €584m (£500m) on new players compared to Chelsea. However, they could only generate €148m (£127m) in player sales over the last nine years.

The CIES report surfaces amid ongoing investigations into Chelsea by the Premier League. 

The league’s CEO, Richard Masters, had confirmed that the Blues are under investigation for potential breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules under the previous owner, Roman Abramovich. 

The investigation stems from discovered files revealing payments spread over a decade, valued at tens of millions of pounds, and routed through offshore vehicles owned by Abramovich, who sold the club to Todd Boehly and co in 2022.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are also facing FFP concerns, which have restricted the club from making a foray into the winter market despite repeated rumours of potential midfield and attacking reinforcements.

Arsenal have been linked with a move for Brentford striker Ivan Toney and Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. But neither would be a realistic target for this month, given the club’s FFP issues.

Everton and Nottingham Forest have already been charged by the Premier League for breaching their Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR), with both clubs awaiting further details on the penalties they may incur.