Chelsea’s 2-2 draw against a 10-man Burnley side on course for Premier League relegation just about summed up their season this weekend, and now it looks as though Todd Boehly is set to make some ruthless decisions.
Chelsea transfer news
The Blues have spent like a club ready to not only compete in the Champions League and Premier League but go on and win the entire competitions, all whilst sitting in mid-table without European football. And that was always likely to catch up to them on a financial level. Now, there are question marks regarding the Blues and Financial Fair Play in England’s top flight.
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Mauricio Pochettino may have a decision to make after this poor display.
These concerns follow Chelsea’s announcement of a £90.1m pre-tax loss in the year to June 2023 to spark worries about whether they will be able to stay within the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules. Given that those in London have already witnessed the Premier League’s ruthlessness when it comes to these rules too, with Everton and Nottingham Forest handed point deductions, they may want to get their act together quickly.
That said, the easiest way that they can ease their concerns is by selling homegrown academy players, which has reportedly left Boehly with little choice but to be ruthless. According to Duncan Castles of The Times, Chelsea are now prepared to sell Reece James this summer alongside fellow academy graduate Conor Gallagher, which has already been well mooted, with the defender’s potential exit possibly bringing in £60m.
Boehly has already struggled to win over the fans at Stamford Bridge and selling James could be the cherry on top of a reign which has seen the cash splashed without any reward. Although the right-back is the current captain of Chelsea, his injury history has seemingly made James an option worth sacrificing to avoid FFP punishment and clear his reported £250k per-week wages.
“Incredible” James’ injury history has forced Boehly’s hand
There’s no doubting James’ ability, but it could be said that availability is the best ability that a player can have at times. And that’s something that the right-back lacks. What’s more, given that Malo Gusto has stepped up in his absence to be one of the few bright sparks at Chelsea this season, the Blues may not have to worry about replacing James’ quality in the summer window.
Reece James’ injury history | Games Missed (Transfermarkt) |
|---|---|
23/24 – Surgery | 22 |
23/24 – Hamstring injury | 9 |
22/23 – Hamstring injury | 1 |
22/23 – Knee injury | 7 |
22/23 – Knee injury | 9 |
So, in the last two seasons alone, James has missed 48 games which is more than the entirety of one Premier League campaign. If these injuries continue, he may even miss the Euros for England much to the frustration of Gareth Southgate, who was full of praise for James amid his first England call-up in 2020, despite his sending-off against Denmark. Southgate said:
“That’s a lesson he’s got to learn. He had an incredible debut, he’s impressed me all week. Until that moment he’d showed great maturity. It’s ended up something that shouldn’t have happened but for the overall week he’s made a positive impression.”
