Chelsea’s financial disaster revealed: Blues had the HIGHEST operating loss last season and the most expensive squad… and sold a hotel to Todd Boehly’s BlueCo – their owners – to stay within the Premier League’s rules
- Chelsea’s operating loss for 2022/23 was a whopping £249 million
- That was more than any other club, as were their roster value and write-offs
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Chelsea’s financial disaster has come to light after it was revealed that Chelsea recorded the worst operating loss of any Premier League club in the 2022/2023 season.
Their operating losses amounted to a whopping £249 million, almost £100 million more than their nearest rivals Leicester, who recorded a deficit of £152 million.
They also had the most expensive squad, worth £1.117 billion, and the second highest wage bill in the top flight at £404 million.
Chelsea spent the most on write-offs – transfer fees spread across a player’s contract – at a whopping £205 million.
While they spent £745 million on player signings, they only made £203 million on player sales.
Chelsea suffered the highest operating loss in the Premier League last season, it appears
They spent £745 on buying players, including a British record £107 million on Enzo Fernandez
Their loan for the year was £428 million.
All this extensive spending, which outpaced their rivals in almost every financial department, led to Chelsea finishing twelfth in the Premier League.
This is the first time Clearlake Capital has released accounts during their reign at Stamford Bridge.
It was also revealed how Chelsea sold a hotel to BlueCo – the consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake which bought the club in May 2022 – for £76.3 million.
That helped limit the club’s losses and stay within the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
This new wave of information comes amid fears over the club’s lavish spending in the 2023/2024 season.
Chelsea spent a whopping £75.1 million on agent fees alone between February 1, 2023 and February 1, 2024, as revealed by the Football Association on Friday.
That was partly due to exorbitant summer spending Moises Caicedo, Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Romeo Lavia, Cole Palmer and more join multi-million pound deals.
The club’s spending on new signings under Boehly has already passed £1 billion in less than two years.
More to follow.