Chelsea have always been big spenders. From when Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003 to his last days at the club, the Blues were not always afraid to spend some big money on big players. Think Fernando Torres, Andrey Shevchenko, and Christian Pulisic; these big players set the club back a lot of money.
However, since Todd Boehly and his consortium took over the club in 2022, Chelsea’s spending habits have taken a surprising turn. They have become more impulsive, giving Brighton & Hove Albion over £200 million in players’ transfer fees and one manager in less than two seasons.
Why is Chelsea forced to pay £7.6 million to Brighton?
Chelsea have been ordered to pay Brighton £7.6 million for the transfer of 16-year-old Shumaira Mheuka by a tribunal. This is a significant event, as Chelsea signed the youngster in 2022 when he was just 14, and this verdict sets a new record for transfer fees for a 14-year-old player, sparking intrigue in the football world.
Here’s the catch, though. Brighton may never receive the total transfer fee amount unless the subject, Mheuka, plays 100 games for the London outfit and earns an England cap while playing for the Blues. According to The Standard, these terms could mean that the Seagulls may never receive the full amount of the transfer fee due to their complexities.
Chelsea have also been ordered to pay a considerable amount for another youngster the club snapped up from Brighton at the same time. Zak Sturge, who is now 19, will cost Chelsea up to £3.15 million, provided he fulfils certain requirements with Chelsea and England.
Both players joined the Blues the same summer Todd Boehly and his consortium acquired the club from Roman Abramovich. Zak Sturge is currently on loan at Peterborough, while Mheuka is spending some time at Chelsea’s youth academy with the Under-18s.
Chelsea’s recent payments to Brighton amount to more than £200 million
Brighton are the best-run Premier League club, and that record may stand for a while. With sensible officials holding important positions at the club, the Seagulls have managed to make more than £200 million from Chelsea alone, thanks to their amazing business acumen.
More than 60% of that amount was spent last summer to bring Moises Caicedo to Stamford Bridge, with Brighton receiving the highest transfer fee any British club has ever received. The Seagulls reached an agreement with the London club to sell the Ecuadorian defensive midfielder for a whopping £115 million.
The Blues also paid a hefty sum to bring Marc Cucurella to the club from Brighton in 2022. Robert Sanchez followed Caicedo to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2023, and the 2021 Champions League winners also paid a premium fee to sign manager Graham Potter and the whole of his backroom staff in 2022.
