EXCLUSIVE
Chelsea contract policy criticised as talkSPORT told it could cause club issues for years to come
Chelsea's method of offering unusually long-term contracts to new signings could be their undoing, talkSPORT has been told.
Since Todd Boehly took control of the west London club in 2022, Chelsea have opted for lengthier contract terms when negotiating deals with incoming stars, in a bid to stave off the threat of Financial Fair Play.
5
Enzo Fernandez was signed from Benfica in January on an eight-year contract while Moises Caidedo, Nicolas Jackson and Mykhailo Mudyrk were handed similar deals, with a total of with 13 players now contracted until 2030.
Chelsea’s continuing under-performance has seen their new method come under scrutiny and former Rangers and Scotland striker Ally McCoist believes Chelsea could become unstuck by their dealings.
“Clubs up and down the country have problems with players on long-term contracts but it’s massively evident at Chelsea,” McCoist said on the talkSPORT Breakfast show.
“Psychologically it gives you confidence and security. But dear me, that’s seven years of security no matter how you perform.
Read more on Chelsea
“I understand with great players you want to get them secured not for as long as possible but certainly for the foreseeable future, but that’s taking it to the extreme.
“I get the reasons they’ve done it. There's a lot of Financial Fair Play involved in that as well but I’m looking at Enzo [Fernandez] £105million, [Moises] Caicedo £115m.
“I’ll make no apologies for mentioning it again... John McGinn cost Aston Villa £3m!"
McCoist says players' attitudes will be key to Chelsea getting long-term success from their transfer dealings. However, he believes the Blues are likely to face a problematic situation if they choose to part with a player who still has considerable time to run on a deal.
Most read in Football
5
5
“If you start giving contracts for seven or eight years and they cost you a combination of £1billion you’re becoming 100 per cent reliant on their attitude over a long period,” McCoist added.
“I wouldn’t question Mudryk or Jackson’s attitude but I would question their ability right now to perform at the highest level for that money.
Stuart Pearce claims Conor Gallagher being Chelsea captain sums their season up and questions if there is anyone better to wear the armband
“You’d like to think there’s improvement in both of those players but you're under pressure when you start giving people eight, nine, ten year contracts."
Meanwhile, talkSPORT’s Gabby Agbonlahor weighed in on Chelsea’s current plight as the Blues underwhelming spell shows no signs of easing up.
Chelsea slipped into 12th position following Sunday’s 2-0 reverse at Everton, signalling their third defeat in four league games.
The former Aston Villa captain claims Chelsea get away with minimal criticism despite their poor form and that the club’s recruitment has been well below par.
“Man United get criticism and they deserve it but Chelsea get away with it because everyone’s like, ‘It’s a project, give them time’ - no, Chelsea’s not about that,” said Agbonlahor.
5
5
“Ask John Terry if Chelsea is about time, Lampard, Cole, Drogba. No, these Chelsea fans want to be winning trophies now. They don't want a project.
“You can’t just keep going, ‘Oh it's not going well, right we need a transfer window’. Get more out of these players!
“Pochettino’s got a problem there. They’ve brought a lot of players in that aren’t good enough.
"Mudryk looks like he needs a year’s worth of training, and Jackson is not the answer."
Topics