Chelsea FC recorded the biggest financial loss in the history of the Premier League last season, at around 300 million euros.
As the club announced, the deficit totals 262 million pounds (300.8 million euros), exceeding Manchester City’s previous negative record from 2011 of 197.5 million pounds (226.7 million euros) before taxes.
New owners from the USA spent 1.15 billion euros on players
Despite sales of 490.9 million pounds (563.5 million euros), the loss could not be prevented. Fines also played a role.
The main problem: Chelsea has spent around 1.15 billion euros on players since it was taken over by the American investment company BlueCo in 2022.
Financial tricks past and present
In recent years, Chelsea has repeatedly been at the center of attention when it comes to complying with and enforcing financial rules:
- According to information from the club in September 2025, the women’s team of the Chelsea FC sold by “Chelsea FC Holdings” to the investor company BlueCo, which owns the club. With this move, Chelsea officially made a “profit” of around £200 million (€230 million), thereby complying with the financial rules of the men’s Premier League.
- A club-owned hotel was “sold” by the club to BlueCo in 2024 for the same purpose.
- These transactions were sufficient for the Premier League to comply with the rules, but not for UEFA. In September 2025, the club was ordered to submit a balanced transfer balance by 2027 and a fine of 31 million euros.
- Chelsea gave new players unusually long contracts. In January 2023, Chelsea brought Michailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk for around 100 million euros, and the player received an eight-year contract. This allowed the investment to be amortized under FIFA and UEFA financial rules over eight years, making it easier to comply with the rules. UEFA then changed its rules and limited the depreciation to five years. Mudryk tested positive for a banned substance at the end of 2024 and faces a four-year doping ban.
- In mid-March, Chelsea was fined the equivalent of 12.5 million euros for breaching the Premier League’s financial rules. A transfer ban was suspended. Further proceedings regarding this are pending before the English association. Chelsea were accused, among other things, of secret payments outside the books of accounts to players’ agents. In addition, the club is said to have resorted to unregistered intermediaries. The allegations concern the time under club owner Roman Abramowitsch before 2022.
Improvement in sight? Record revenues expected for 2025/26
Chelsea has not yet published the full annual financial statements. These will only be visible later in the British commercial register.
But there may be relaxation in sight. The club expects record revenues this season. This is also related to winning the 2025 Club World Cup, most of which falls into the new financial year.
In terms of sport, the season was quite successful for Chelsea: the team managed to qualify for the Champions League, and Chelsea also won the Conference League and the Club World Cup. Chelsea still has a chance of a place in the Champions League this season
