Chelsea's £323million January transfer window spend amounted to 37% of the total amount spent in the winter window by the 20 teams in England's top flight. Understandably that has seen some complaints thrown their way with disappointing performances since the spending spree slammed at multiple opportunities.
David Datro Fofana, Andrey Santos, Joao Felix, Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke, Mykhailo Mudryk, Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernandez were all bought permanently by the Blues last month. Gusto immediately returned on loan to Lyon after he completed his move, with all other seven names enduring varying starts to their careers in west London.
On paper, Badiashile seems to have made the clearest impact thus far while Felix and Fernandez, both playing only their second game for the club, showcased their quality combining to put Chelsea in front against West Ham in the Premier League last weekend.
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The transfer priorities for the summer are already being laid out but Todd Boehly and Co. find themselves at a disadvantage if they hope to repeat their winter flurry of signings.
Chelsea have been able to take advantage of a UEFA Financial Fair Play loop hole by offering mammoth contract lengths. In essence, this amortises the value of the player on the books over those years. For example, Benoit Badiashile purchased for £35million this window goes down to £5million per year in the books over his seven-year deal.
UEFA have responded to the queries and are now set to change the way the structure works to stop this effective loophole. The European footballing governing body is now expected to set a five-year limit on deals and their payment.
Therefore the Blues will be prevented from agreeing similar deals that they have completed in January, although it doesn't stop the club from giving out long deals it just ensures that costs are only spread across five years.
Speaking about FFP and smart transfer spending, Aston Villa CEO Christian Purslow seemed to aim a subtle dig at several clubs' vast spending, with Chelsea and Boehly likely at the top of that list.
"We [Aston Villa] are trying to do things the right way, that is the tradition of this great club, and that means patiently, consistently seeking to improve but doing so within the financial rules, he told BT Sport.
"Those rules are very topical today, and that is why clubs like Fulham and Brentford are able to be successful, but I think it’s quite likely in the coming months and years that we will see further reform of those crucial financial regulations.
"When properly applied, they ensure that the wealth of ownership is a secondary factor, not a primary factor, and I think that is the way most football fans think football should be."
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