Chelsea face fresh PSR concerns as losses mount

Chelsea’s financial situation is under scrutiny after the club revealed a pre-tax loss of £90.1 million for the year ending June 30, 2023, according to The Telegraph. 

This follows the previous year’s £121.4 million loss and has raised concerns about the club’s ability to meet Premier League and UEFA financial regulations.

These figures were revealed in the accounts of BlueCo 22, the company through which Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital acquired Chelsea from Roman Abramovich in 2022. 

BlueCo 22 reported a jaw-dropping £653 million loss for the period between March 2, 2022, to June 30, 2023.

The pre-tax loss raises fears of potential breaches of financial regulations and the need for player sales to balance the books. 

Despite these concerns, Chelsea maintain they can comply with Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations.

“The club continues to balance success on the field with the financial imperatives of complying with financial regulations,” Chelsea stated. 

“We have complied with these regulations since 2012 and expect to do so for the foreseeable future.”

Current regulations allow clubs to make a maximum loss of £105 million over three years. 

However, Chelsea’s rivals believe the club needs to raise at least £100 million by June 30 to avoid breaching financial regulations, a claim Chelsea has refuted.

Despite the losses, BlueCo 22’s accounts also show that Chelsea generated £142.2 million from player trading and fixed assets, while turnover increased to £512.5 million from £481.3 million.

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s ownership under BlueCo 22 has drawn criticism, particularly from Strasbourg supporters angry at the purchase of their club, which reportedly cost £64.9 million.

A section of the club’s fanbase have announced plans to protest against BlueCo’s under-23 policy, which has seen the club sell off most of their experienced players – just like Chelsea.