sport news Chelsea's £184m winter splurge accounts for over 38 per cent of all Premier ... trends now
Todd Boehly is continuing to splash the cash as he tries to help Chelsea climb up the Premier League table in what has been a tough season under Graham Potter, with Noni Madueke the latest body through the door.
It's been an incredibly busy January transfer window for Chelsea as they have already signed six players this month - and there is still a week to go until it slams shut.
At an average age of just over 20, it's clear the Blues are going for a different approach to previous years and are building for the future rather than the present. Their spending so far this month has equated to nearly 39 per cent of all Premier League expenditure in January.
Todd Boehly has invested heavily in the Chelsea squad so far in the January transfer window
Mykhailo Mudryk has been the headline signing, costing the club a whopping £88.6million
The move comes after three years of not spending a penny in the winter window.
Of course, the club had to deal with an embargo under Frank Lampard, which will have contributed to that. And It's not massively common that big deals are done in January anyway.
But it is unusual not to spend money three Januarys in a row. Boehly invested nearly £250million on players such as Raheem Sterling, Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana in the summer, and he's gone hard again this month.
He may have a different method of doing business, but he's certainly doing that business - although his way of working has caught the eye of UEFA bigwigs.
Chelsea have been able to splurge on players and stay within FFP rules by spreading out the cost of the signings over long contracts. Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk was given the longest deal in Premier League history when he signed for eight-and-a-half years following his £88.6 move from Shakhtar Donetsk.
But UEFA are set to close that loophole following complaints from a number of top-flight clubs.
New Chelsea boss Graham Potter (centre) has been backed massively by Boehly this month
According to FIFA statutes, clubs are only permitted to give players contracts of up to five years, but Chelsea have been routinely handing out far longer deals this season.
Chelsea have got round FIFA’s restrictions by registering the additional years in each player’s contract as a club-triggered option to extend, but some of their Premier League rivals are convinced this is really a ruse to circumnavigate FFP.
How Abramovich changed the spending patterns
Roman Abramovich took over Chelsea in 2003 and almost immediately ignited new life in a club struggling for a sense of direction.
Rival fans often mock the Blues, suggesting they were founded in 2003 as a reference to the money the Russian injected into the club.
But supporters won't mind too much considering the five Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues were won under Abramovich's leadership.
Roman Abramovic joined Chelsea in 2003 and injected several millions into the club
The Blues went onto win five Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues under him
In the two winter windows prior to Abramovich's arrival Chelsea didn't spend at all.
Lampard had arrived in the summer of 2001 in a total expenditure that eclipsed £43.5million, the third highest in the league, but the summer of 2022 their outlay was zeo.
Looking back, that contributed to three transfer windows in a row without any money going into the playing squad in terms of playing budget.
Then came Roman.
Hernan Crespo (centre) was among the cohort that joined the club in the summer of 2023
Claude Makelele and Damien Duff also arrived for sizeable transfer fees in summer 2003
The Blues splashed out a sensational £136.3million in the summer of 2023, Abramovich's first window, on players such as Hernan Crespo, Damien Duff and Claude
