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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is calling for a change in Premier League rules to help protect the futures of academy players.
He believes the current financial rules mean that clubs “feel “compelled” to sell academy players to meet strict profit and sustainability rules.
Maresca, who joined Chelsea this summer, made the point after the club agreed a deal to sell midfielder Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid for £33m.
Gallagher, 24, has been at the club since he was eight years old and went on to make 95 appearances, scoring 26 goals. He is one of seven academy graduates who have all been sold in the last 12 months, with Mason Mount (£55m), Lewis Hall (£28m), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (£15m), Ian Maatsen (£35m) just some of the names.
It is widely expected that Gallagher will be followed by Armando Broja and Trevoh Chalobah as Chelsea look to balance their books, which have seen them spend a world-record sum of well over £1bn in the past four transfer windows.
“All the clubs at this moment are compelled to sell players from the academy because of the rules. It’s all of the Premier League clubs’ problems,” said Maresca.
“It’s not only us, it’s all the Premier League clubs. It’s a shame because, in Italy, we have [Francesco] Totti with Roma: 20 years with the same club, one-club man. We love that in football, the fans want to see that. But with the rules now it is different than the past.
“My personal opinion is it’s a shame because we like to see a one-club man, but the rules are different.”
When clubs sell graduates of their academy system, the entire transfer fee goes down as ‘pure profit’ in their accounts.
Premier League clubs have agreed to trial an alternative financial system which operates like a spending cap in the 2024/25 season.
Teams will be allowed to spend no more than 85 per cent of their total revenues on squads under the new system.
