Chelsea announce record budget deficit for 2024-25 season, leading the way in terms of fees paid to players’ agents
Enzo Fernandes has revealed he could leave Chelsea (Image: PA)
Some players seem to be looking elsewhere, and the financial numbers are staggering. All in all, it was a quiet respite internationally for Chelsea Football Club, who went on hiatus after four consecutive defeats.
They have conceded 12 goals in those four consecutive defeats, three of which came in their most recent comeback against Everton, who entered the game as the Premier League’s 15th lowest scoring team. Enzo Fernandes and Marc Cucurella have chosen to sow further doubts about their future in their compatriots.
Fernandes fluttered his eyelashes at Real Madrid, but Cucurella criticized the club’s transfer policy and suggested it would be difficult to turn down a move to Barcelona. Considering their role in Chelsea’s poor season so far, Fernandes and Cucurella seem to be thinking a little too highly of themselves, given that Real and Barca will call them up this summer.
Incidentally, Fernandes has one of Chelsea’s signature contracts. it lasts forever. The deadline is actually until 2032, but that doesn’t seem to stop the excitement about his transfer.
Follow the Chelsea FB page! For the latest news and details about Bruce, visit our dedicated Facebook page.
read more: Real Madrid unhappy with England after Jude Bellingham’s ‘pointless’ tripread more: Premier League assistant referee speaks out about Manchester United’s controversial penalty call
Which makes me even more confused about this whole BlueCo project. They are turning a club that has always had great charm and class into some kind of soulless financial institution.
And how this financial institution actually works is definitely beyond the comprehension of the average fan. In recent days, the club announced the biggest financial deficit in English football history, with a pre-tax deficit of £262.4m for the 2024-25 season (year ending 30 June 2025).
The club posted a loss of £155m for the 2022-23 season. Yet somehow Chelsea still comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Regulations (PSR).
Marc Cucurella has expressed his views on Chelsea’s current situation while on international duty (Image: Javier Borrego/Europa Press via Getty Images)
The £128.4m profit they posted in 2023-24 no doubt helped them, but this figure was further boosted by the sale of Chelsea Women’s team to one of BlueCo’s subsidiaries for almost £200m.
Remember when Everton and Nottingham Forest were penalized for PSR violations? Those decisions look more and more unjust every day.
Seriously, does anyone believe that the Premier League’s financial regulations and enforcement are fit for purpose? No one knows what kind of sentence will be handed down if the Manchester City verdict is handed down.
But back to Chelsea. On the same day the huge losses were announced, the Football Association published its annual report detailing how much each club spent on agent fees from February 2025 to February 2026. Unlike the Premier League, this is one competition that Chelsea can normally be trusted to run away with.
Chelsea co-owners Todd Boley and Behada Egbali (left) spent a lot of money on the transfer (Image: Getty Images)
And sure enough, they have spent by far the most in agent fees over the past 12 months, with their £65.1m spend almost £30m more than the next most expensive club, Aston Villa. To no one’s surprise, Chelsea spent the most on agents the year before (£60.4m) and the year before that (£75.1m). It’s a wonderful hat trick.
At least this version of Chelsea, the version of Todd Boley vs. Clearlake that spent more than £1.5 billion on the transfer, declared the fee. The club were recently fined £10.75m and handed a one-year transfer ban following a Premier League investigation into undisclosed £47.5m payments made during Roman Abramovich’s era. They could face penalties from the Football Association for similar violations.
Oh, and just for reference, the women’s team, which they bought from themselves for around £200m, lost £17.1m last year. follow.
Chelsea’s financial results became a hot topic (Image: Getty Images)
Chelsea’s financial machinations are mind-boggling. Does it matter? I agree. When you spend £1.5bn on transfers, pay your agent £65.1m and lose £262.4m a year, you would at least expect a strong football team.
Instead, we have a team that sits sixth in the Premier League, 22 points behind Arsenal, and was humiliated by Paris Saint-Germain in the first round of the Champions League. Oh, and two of its leading players are openly talking about potentially moving to other clubs.
Liam Rosenior has received some deserved criticism for his four-game losing streak, but it remains to be seen whether he’s up to the task. But one can’t help but wonder if the job is one of the most thankless jobs in football, money aside.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
