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There could be a major clear-out of players at Chelsea following the club’s spending spree in January.
That is because failure to qualify for next season’s Champions League could potentially leave them in breach of FFP (Financial Fair Play) regulations.
Potentially nine players could depart Stamford Bridge as a result. They include midfielders Conor Gallagher and Mason Mount, defenders Trevoh Chalobah and Cesar Azpilicueta, and strikers Christian Pulisic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Although Chelsea have managed to avoid breaking FFP rules by granting very long contracts to some of the new arrivals, a loophole that UEFA now intend to close, without the money derived from the Champions League, revenues are likely to drop substantially next season, especially as their lucrative deal with shirt sponsorship Three is due to end.
Chelsea face an uphill battle to make the top four in the second half of this campaign.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.