Chelsea ‘proud’ of 42-man ‘first-team pool’ with a total of 191 years remaining on their deals

Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol has been told that “Chelsea are proud of the fact that the 42 players they have in their first-team pool”.

Before the summer transfer window opened, the Blues had already spent around £1billion on transfers since a Todd Boehly-led consortium took over the Stamford Bridge outfit in May 2022.

Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix – who has previously been on loan at Chelsea – is set to become their tenth signing of the summer transfer window with Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall among other high-profile arrivals this summer.

And Jamie Carragher is one of a number of pundits who have expressed their concern at the volume of players coming through the door at Chelsea over the past couple of years.

Carragher said on Sky Sports on Monday night : “I don’t why as a player I would look at that Chelsea project and think I would sign. The only reason you would sign is because your agent might say, ‘We’re getting a seven-year deal on big money. That’s guaranteed money for seven years’.

“You know what I would say? Back yourself as a player, sign a four-year deal at a proper club and back yourself to do well. And then when you’re due for a renewal the money goes up anyway.

“I don’t understand why players are signing seven-year deals.”

When put to him that players might want to join Chelsea because of their long-term vision, Carragher hit back: “Part of what?! It’s not a young and exciting team!

“Joao Felix. Tell me, where is he going to play. They signed [Pedro] Neto a week ago, they’ve already got Cole Palmer.

“Where are you going to play Enzo Fernandez, a £100million player who plays at No.10? Where are you going to play [Christopher] Nkunku?

“Great football teams need competition. But in every football team I played in there was seven or eight players who knew they were playing every week.

“And then you’ve got six or seven players who were fighting for three positions and then you’ve got another six or seven players who know they’re squad players. That is a healthy squad.

“You’re asking where Joao Felix is going to play. Do you know what I want to ask you? Where is he getting changed at the training ground? I’m deadly serious.

“Where are these people [getting changed]? If you’ve got 40 players how are you all in one dressing room? How are you putting a training session on?”

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But now Sky Sports reporter Solhekol insists that he has been informed that Chelsea are “proud” of their huge pool of players on long-term contracts.

Solhekol wrote on X : “Chelsea are proud of the fact that the 42 players they have in their first-team pool have a total of 191 years remaining on their contracts. Chelsea’s new owners have pursued a policy of signing players on long-term contracts with relatively low wages by Premier League standards.

“The average base wage of the players Chelsea have signed in the past two years is believed to be below the Premier League average of £72,000 a week. Chelsea players currently at the club have an average of 4.5 years remaining on their contracts.

“Chelsea see players on long-term deals with average base wages of between £60,000 to £70,000 a week as an asset and not as a liability. If the player performs, he is rewarded through his incentivised contract with big bonuses; if he underperforms, he receives only his base wage which means he is easier to sell.

“Long-term contracts have also helped Chelsea when it comes to complying with Premier League and UEFA financial rules as the cost of a transfer fee can be spread in accounts over a maximum of five years.

“Last week Cole Palmer signed a new contract which will keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2033. The contract is incentivised and in line with the club’s wage policy. Several new signings are believed to have taken wage cuts in order to move to Chelsea.

“Chelsea’s ownership are convinced they now have the right strategy to make sure the club are challenging for major honours again as soon as possible. Enzo Maresca will have a 25-player Premier League squad when the window closes.”