Chelsea may be deducted points for blocking Tottenham from signing a Premier League legend

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The respective approaches of the current ownership regimes at Chelsea and Tottenham could not be further apart.

Since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital bought Chelsea for £2.5bn in 2022, they have seemed determined to uproot the entire system.

As well as going on a truly unprecedented signing spree that has seen their net spend spiral towards £800m, Chelsea have also been forced to find creative ways to circumvent PSR.

At first that was exploiting an accounting loophole that meant they were able to amortise player transfer fees over contract lengths of up to nine years.

Then, the club sanctioned intra-group property sells, reportedly generating around £76m from the sale of two on-site hotels at Stamford Bridge alone.

And the sale of their women’s team to a Boehly-owned entity appears to be one more throw of the dice to give themselves a chance of staying within the Premier League’s three-year £105m allowable loss threshold.

At the other end of the spectrum, Spurs.

The North London club have the lowest amortisation bill and wages-to-turnover ratio of any of the so-called Big Six clubs.

In relative terms, Daniel Levy and ENIC are among the poorer owners in the Premier League – and that has led the owners to insist that the club funds itself rather than relying on the owners bankrolling losses.

Chelsea’s lavish approach to spending may have accelerated in the last two years, but it can of course be tracked back to the very beginning of the Roman Abramovich era.

And it is the Russian oligarch’s reign that could, according to one expert, land Chelsea in a lot of trouble relating to Tottenham.

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Chelsea blocked Spurs from signing Eden Hazard as points deduction mooted

While Man City’s ‘115 charges’ case due to start next month has taken up more airtime and column inches, Chelsea could also be in hot water for alleged offences.

It was reported after the Boehly-Clearlake takeover two years ago that Roman Abramovich’s regime had used parallel contracts to artificially inflate player wages.

The club have since admitted evidence of this materialised during the due diligence process.

And, per legal expert and former Man City consultant Stefan Borson, the advantage that gave Chelsea in signing Eden Hazard and Willian ahead of fellow suitors Spurs could theoretically lead to a points deduction.

“What is interesting about these scenarios is that most of them occurred in competitive transfer situations for some very big players – players like Eden Hazard and Willian,” Borson told talkSPORT.

“They will have a problem, I think, arguing that there was no sporting advantage.

“We know from the Everton and Nottingham Forest cases that where the independent commissions sees sporting advantages, they like to go for sporting penalties.

“That is why I think there is a realistic prospect that this [punishment] won’t just be financial and it won’t just be transfer bans.

“It could be something more serious in terms of sanctions around sporting points and deductions.

“Just as an example, you look at Hazard and Willian in particular. Those were players that Spurs were in the running for.

“Spurs will argue that had those players signed for them, there would have been a different outcome on the field.

“We know a big driver of that is hidden payments. They have admitted that – it’s not in dispute.”

When will the Chelsea case be resolved?

The case is still at the investigation stage and there has been no date set for an independent commission to hear it.

That is if Chelsea contest it at all, which some believe they will not.

This week, Premier League CEO Richard Masters emphasised that the investigation was reaching its conclusion.

If found guilty to the offences they reported themselves to the Premier League and UEFA for, Chelsea could be hit with a fine, a points deduction, or a transfer embargo.