Historically, the fees associated with transfer transactions have always been a significant expense for major clubs. Because the more players you buy, the more costs you incur. In addition to the fixed amount to be paid to the other team, the transaction also generates a commission paid to the agent. For Chelsea, the last two seasons have been very expensive.
According to the official commission data released by the Premier League, Chelsea have paid a staggering £75.14 million in transfer commissions to agents in the last two seasons. That's more than any other team in the Premier League, and even £15 million more than Manchester City in the same period. I have to say that this is very exaggerated. To some extent, this is a waste of money, because after two seasons of large-scale signings, Chelsea's overall squad has not improved, but has regressed in many aspects. The consequence of the high price of reinforcements is that the ancillary costs in all aspects are not worth the price.
Since Chelsea changed their new owner, Todd Boehly, they have been in a bit of a rush in the transfer market. The team first spent 700 million euros on a new star in a winter window. It's fair to say that as long as Chelsea are the superstars, they don't care about the payment method at all. Either offer a price that the club to which it belongs cannot refuse, or simply smash the liquidated damages. Under this high-intensity consumption, the number of first-team players at Chelsea once exceeded 30. That form lasted almost two seasons, during which it was arguably the most expensive team in the transfer market.
This has been accompanied by a lot of money being made by the major agents who have made a lot of money by operating deals with Chelsea. What is the concept of £75.14 million, which could buy a superstar who is currently playing for a big club, and it has to be the kind of individual ability that is very high in the top five leagues. But Chelsea didn't get such a role, they instead let all the money go to their agents, and the chaotic operation at the top really made the fans feel helpless.
Interestingly, though, the Chelsea hierarchy are now recognising the issue as well. Owner Boehly, in particular, has identified problems with the team's recent phase of signings. And after seeing more than £75 million in agent commissions, the Blues are ready to cut back on what to do next, and they will be more cautious about the next moves. Rather than spending all this unjust money, it is better to be cautious and use it for other aspects of the team's construction. It is worth mentioning that Chelsea also have plans to refurbish or renovate the stadium in the coming years. This means that their finances may not be as rich in the next few seasons as they were before. Refurbishing a new Stamford Bridge stadium is likely to cost more than £500 million, and the Blues will need to cut back on spending as well.
Objectively speaking, the commissions paid to brokers are not exactly unjust money. Teams like Real Madrid, Manchester City and others who maintain high expenses will pay around 30 million euros in agent commissions every season. However, the stars they buy through the operation are generally able to return on their costs, and they have achieved corresponding results. In other words, the high commissions paid to agents are not terrible, but the terrible thing is that the superstars signed at the high commission price are still parallel goods, which is why Chelsea cannot accept it. Judging from the stars they have signed so far, Enzo is currently in the middle of the pack, and there should be hope to return to the top superstar level in the future.
But Caicedo is a bit of a pity, originally known as the second Kante in the Premier League, but after joining the team, he did not meet expectations at all. For Chelsea, it will be important to be cautious when bringing in these high-value stars going forward. So in your opinion, Chelsea spent £75.14 million in agent commissions in two seasons, and whether it is a loss or not?