Premier League rivals Chelsea have embarked on an unprecedented summer reshuffle of their squad, aiming to "spruce up the books" at the end of the financial year in June and avoid falling foul of strict financial fairness rules. In the past 48 hours, Chelsea decisively "chopped and chopped", will be Nicolai Jandi, Aidoo Yawendi, Golibani, XueYeJi, GaoWuXi and Xavi Si six big stars for sale, four of them will be far away from Saudi Arabia, and some of the European football clubs have expressed doubts about Chelsea and Saudi Arabia's money potential interests in the exchange, and asked the UEFA to step in and investigate.
Since American businessman Paulie took over Chelsea last year, the team has thrown away nearly 600 million pounds (HK$6 billion) in the past two transfer windows to bring in new recruits, resulting in an oversupply of players. The team's financial situation also fails to meet the requirements of the Financial Fairness Regulations of the English Premier League and the UEFA, and so it must try its best to absorb the inventory before the end of June. Within 48 hours from Tuesday (20), Chelsea has successfully sent away six major players, and it is rumored that Aubameyang, Lukaku, Herschel O'Doul, and Mason Monty will also be leaving one after another.
Chelsea announced the free transfer of Nicolaj Jandy to the Etihad, followed by the sale of Eduardo Yavendi to Jeddah Aly for £10 million (HK$100 million), while Ghoulibani joined Hilal for £20 million (HK$200 million), and Xueyeji moved to Ainas for £8 million (HK$80 million). Chelsea also sold Gowarthy to Manchester City for £30 million (about HK$300 million) and transferred Xaviers to Arsenal for £65 million (about HK$650 million).
According to the Daily Mail, Saudi Arabia's money has become the key to Chelsea's "slimming" this time around, with Nicolajandro Jandi, Eduardo Avendi, Ghorepani and Xueyeji, in addition to Aubameyang, Lukaku and Herschel O'Doul also being actively pursued by Saudi Arabia's football clubs. There is even news that a Saudi delegation has set up an "operational headquarters" in a London hotel, ready to buy players in the Premier League market.
Chelsea, originally in deep financial difficulties, has suddenly turned to safety with the "assistance" of Saudi Arabia, which has aroused widespread suspicion in the soccer world. According to the Daily Telegraph, several European football clubs have called for an investigation by the European Football Association (EFA) in the name of "fair market", suspecting that there may be a transfer of benefits. The main investor in Chelsea's parent company, Clearlake Capital, is the Saudi sovereign wealth fund (PIF).
