Chelsea’s owners have once again come under the spotlight these last couple of weeks as they look to sell a handful of players to Saudi Arabian clubs.
Claims that the owners have close connections to the Saudi PIF sparked questions from some in football and saw various articles being written.
However, journalist Ben Jacobs has ensured that there is ‘nothing atypical’ in these deals and whilst the Chelsea owners have a good relationship with the PIF, there have been no ‘special favours’ for them in any of these transfer deals.
Jacobs was explaining it all in his latest extensive and exclusive Chelsea FC column for Si & Dan Talk Chelsea yesterday.
EXCL: Mount to Utd likely to get done, Caicedo fee closer to £70+10m (Utd not serious), Nothing sceptical about Saudi deals, Why domestic outgoings are key, Multi club news…
– The @JacobsBen Chelsea FC column!https://t.co/stwusn3hSo pic.twitter.com/kfJOwDS4Zd
— Chelsea-News (@ChelseaNewsCo_) June 26, 2023
He said: “It’s true that Clearlake (and Cain as well, which is another Todd Boehly company) have an excellent relationship with PIF, but any suggestion of ‘special’ (key word) favours to Chelsea is wide of the mark.
“The fees for Koulibaly (€20m), Mendy (€18m) and Ziyech (€10m) come to less than the €55m Al-Hilal paid Wolves for Ruben Neves.
“It’s true, the wages paid to all three are high, but this is again the case with every big-name Saudi target. Their wages are usually doubled, tripled or better. So Chelsea have kind of hit the outgoings jackpot, but there’s nothing atypical about the deals compared to every other high-profile Saudi target this summer.”
The reality is it’s just decent business all round and favours ALL parties involved, not just Chelsea. The fees paid for Chelsea’s players can hardly be described as overpaying and in fact, some of them will end up actually being a little low for the players. So this one can firmly be put to bed (and someone tell Gary Neville please!!)
