Premier League have confirmed that Chelsea have not exploited any ‘loopholes’ in the current Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSRs) amid claims that deals the club made before the June 30 deadline may have been illegal.
Needing to balance out the books in order to stay within the regulations, Chelsea sanctioned the departure of some players. Other clubs who might be affected with the regulation followed suit as Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Everton also doing the same.
However, players were sold between the four clubs in what appeared to be mutually-beneficial sales, including the Blues’ sale of their homegrown Dutch defender Ian Maatsen for £37.5m to Unai Emery’s side who sold Chelsea young striker Omari Kellyman for £19m the same week.
Villa also exchanged academy star Tim Iroegbunam for Everton starlet Lewis Dobbin in separate £9m deals. Chelsea were also accused of exploiting the system when they sold two hotels to a sister company in a £76.5m deal and sold the women’s team to the club’s parent company.
Despite all the claims and callout, Premier League’s chief executive, Richard Masters, has said that Chelsea have not exploited any ‘loopholes’ in the current Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSRs).
He said: “The rules are well understood and so I wouldn’t describe these as loopholes. They’re understood and permitted within the rules and our job is to ensure that [clubs] comply with the letter of the rules. Obviously you’ve got lots of clubs who have different spending plans over a three-year period and we care less about that plan, more about the eventuality that everybody complies with those rules.
“So there’s different ways of achieving the same thing, which is being within the limit. There is a collective spirit within the Premier League that still exists. It is a competition. So it’s set up for people to compete with each other and clubs compete with each other on the pitch, off the pitch, in sponsorship markets, for new investment.
“They’re competing with each other all the time and everyone is trying to find an angle, whether it be signing a player, finding a way to be better in the Premier League. And I think that is a great thing.”
