This summer has again seen a high number of transfers from various clubs including Chelsea, and perhaps the most contentious was Conor Gallagher’s switch to Atletico Madrid.
The Blues captain appeared keen to stay at Stamford Bridge, but in order to stay within the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), he was eased out of West London.
A similar situation appears to be manifesting itself currently with Trevoh Chalobah but Chelsea are by no means alone, and that’s riled former professional turned outspoken broadcaster, Stan Collymore.
Chelsea and others must stop pimping out players
“We need to have the conversation about when a player is being signed by a club, he needs to understand where he can buy a house, school his kids and have a home base to settle into,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.
“He shouldn’t be pimped out here, there and everywhere, just to be a great example of Profit and Sustainability rules in action.
“Conor Gallagher is another one. Four loans in three years before settling down at Chelsea, only to then be pushed out the door by Todd Boehly.
“It kills younger players to keep going out on loan and it basically leaves them like a ship that never docks. They’re constantly out and about and never find a home.
“Perhaps Gallagher will do that now at Atletico Madrid – find what it’s like to go and play for a club, anchor down and become a club legend – but he wanted to be ‘the man’ at Chelsea.”
There is, perhaps, an argument that in bringing in PSR, the Premier League’s tightening up has left some clubs that had significantly overspent previously, up the creek without a paddle.
It appears to be a constant battle for some to stay within Financial Fair Play guidelines, and whilst it’s good business practice, in the interim, players are suffering by being used as pawns in the FFP game.
What that also does is stop any club that’s on the FFP precipice from getting any sort of continuity in terms of first-team staffing – and that can’t be good for business.
Players averaged two loan spells at least long before PSR. Players that started at a club, stayed at that club, and started for a long period of time were the exception, not the rule.
But yes, PSR is to blame, and it has nothing to do with “selling to balance the books”. They truly didn’t believe Conor had what it took to be the long term starter in the style they wanted to play, and if he wasn’t the starter, he CAN’T make what he felt he was worth. He turned down the long extension offered in 2022. Without PSR would Chelsea have paid him 200k per week to have his leadership in the building and let him push for a starting spot? Yes. They are investing Billions in infrastructure and staff unaffected by PSR. They want an elite team. But PSR is about to lower the sending bar two more times. Get stuck with even a few players wrong in terms of high pay packets vs performance and you are washed.
The people that actually know, not the ex footballers sitting around the table obsessed with their teams staying in power, were easily able to predict these results and worse from a PSR system.