Chelsea Chronicles: Mykhailo Mudryk’s Doping Ban Might Be a Blessing for Blues Amid Stricter UEFA Regulations

MYKHAILO MUDRYK was far from being a Chelsea success story even prior to his suspension for a failed anti-doping test.

However, the Ukraine winger’s current absence may turn out to be a silver lining for the Blues.

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Mudryk’s absence will significantly aid the club in registering all five of its major summer signings for the Champions League—Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Jorrel Hato, Liam Delap, and Estevao Willian.

Chelsea appears quite optimistic about achieving this goal.

To understand why, we need to delve into UEFA’s rulebook, make some assumptions regarding transfer fees and wages, and do a little math.

When UEFA fined Chelsea £27 million in July for past financial rule violations, they also imposed limitations on summer recruitment.

The total annual expenditure on the “A” list of up to 25 players submitted for the Champions League must be lower than that of the previous season’s Conference League “A” list for the knockout stages.

Although Mudryk’s suspension began last December, he was included in that Conference League list.

The Ukrainian reportedly still receives the £97,000-per-week wages he agreed upon when he signed with Chelsea for £56 million in January 2023.

However, excluding Mudryk from this season’s UEFA list would free up a substantial portion of the budget.

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A player’s annual cost includes their wages plus the amortization of their contract, which represents the yearly reduction in their transfer value for accounting.

In rough estimates, Mudryk’s annual cost for UEFA purposes was around £17 million, exceeding the combined annual cost of adding Estevao and Hato to the squad.

The £52 million sale of Noni Madueke to Arsenal is also crucial in Chelsea’s restructuring.

When computing savings from player sales, UEFA permits clubs to add one-third of the transfer profit to their wages and amortization costs that are now off the books.

Madueke arrived at the club in the same month as Mudryk for £35 million.

By the time he was transferred to the Gunners, amortization had lowered his value on Chelsea’s books to under £20 million, yielding a profit of over £30 million.

Dividing that profit by three and adding it to Madueke’s wages and amortization costs results in about £20 million, likely exceeding Pedro’s annual costs.

The picture is clear, and you can put away your calculators. In summary, the annual costs of the five big-name signings are around £60 million.

This figure closely aligns with the savings obtained from leaving out Mudryk, selling Madueke, and letting go of other players, along with losing on-loan Jadon Sancho’s £7.5 million wages, loaning out Marc Guiu, and releasing backup goalkeeper Lucas Bergstrom.

UEFA regulations allow clubs to submit fewer than 25 players on their A list, thus enabling them to make savings in this manner. It’s likely Chelsea will have 22 players or fewer.

Clubs competing in Europe can enhance their senior squad by naming unlimited young players in their B list, provided they fulfill certain criteria.

Romeo Lavia is eligible, alongside homegrown stars Josh Acheampong, Tyrique George, and others.

If Chelsea can resolve issues regarding Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson, they could release over £30 million from their Champions League budget—likely enough to cover the costs for Xavi Simons and Alejandro Garnacho.

Wesley Fofana presents a single uncertainty. Like Lavia, the French defender was absent from the Conference League roster due to injury.

However, Fofana’s hefty transfer fee (initially £70 million) and wages (£200,000 per week) imply his annual costs for UEFA would be close to £25 million.

He might end up watching the new signings play in the Champions League.

Carn and Collected

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CARNEY CHUKWUEMEKA had a singular goal when he reported for Chelsea’s pre-season training this summer – a return to Germany.

After weeks of challenging negotiations between Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund, the midfielder is set to return to the Bundesliga on a permanent basis.

Dortmund initially sought to arrange another loan deal with Chelsea, while the latter pushed for a sale.

At times, it seemed an agreement might not be reached, especially with other clubs joining the fray.

Juventus, Napoli, RB Leipzig, and West Ham all expressed interest in signing the former Aston Villa player.

However, Chukwuemeka’s insistence on joining Dortmund was pivotal in finalizing the deal.

Chelsea initially demanded nearly £40 million for the midfielder, who was signed from Villa for £20 million in 2022.

While this asking price proved unrealistic, Chelsea secured a sizable 30% sell-on clause alongside a £24 million total transfer package to ease the financial impact.

In Good Nic

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NICOLAS JACKSON’S potential departure from Chelsea appears to be reaching its conclusion.

Enzo Maresca has informed the Senegal striker that he is free to leave the club following the arrivals of Delap and Pedro.

As exclusively reported by SunSport, Bayern Munich has secured a verbal agreement for the signing amid interest from Newcastle, Aston Villa, and AC Milan.

Chelsea’s initial asking price was set at £80 million, but they are now aiming for a fee closer to £60 million for a direct sale.

However, the club is open to allowing him to leave on loan to alleviate his wages from the books, particularly as they pursue signings for Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho or RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons.

SunSport can reveal that Jackson’s representatives are currently in London to finalize the deal, with the transfer window closing next week.

Jackson has been training with the first team at Cobham, but he has yet to make it into a matchday squad under Maresca this season.

Something Chilly

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BEN CHILWELL is embracing the diverse lifestyle of a Premier League footballer while awaiting the outcome of his status on September 1.

The former England international shared a photo on Instagram wearing a Gucci football-style shirt next to someone named Cozane.

According to popular opinion, Cozane is an influencer/model connected with rapper Jack Harlow, who happens to be a fan of Chelsea.

Yet, Chilwell’s contributions extend beyond celebrity connections; he is also actively involved with Shay’s Smiles, the charity he supports.

Chilwell and Shay Patel, who had a tragic story, attended the same schools and played for the same grassroots club in Bedfordshire.

Shay was a Chelsea enthusiast who sadly passed away in 2020 at the age of just 13 after being diagnosed with a Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) brain tumor.

The organization under his name aids families with children affected by GBM to access care and support, while also raising awareness and funding for research.

Shay’s Smiles is particularly focused on covering the £143,657 expense for a doctoral student working within the Brain Tumor Research Centre of Excellence at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).

Last week, Chilwell visited the hospital alongside charity representatives, including Shay’s mother, Niki.

He stands out as a positive example of how footballers can leverage their privileged status for meaningful contributions to society.

Haz to be

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Apart from Cole Palmer, no player has generated as much buzz at Stamford Bridge since Eden Hazard as Estevao.

Every time he receives the ball, he elicits a collective gasp from the fans, as witnessed during Chelsea’s 5-1 triumph over West Ham last Friday.

Estevao has the charisma of the Blues’ legendary Belgian winger and is exciting to watch.

Supporters quickly drew comparisons between the full debuts of both players. Hazard earned an assist and the man of the match award on his debut at Wigan in 2012.

Fast forward 13 years, and Estevao mirrored that performance at the London Stadium.

While it’s clear the Brazilian has a long road ahead to establish a legacy akin to the Blues’ greats, he undoubtedly possesses immense potential.