Chelsea risk point deduction Over Samuel Eto’o transfer

Chelsea reportedly risk facing ghosts of its past as new investigations over its transfer moves for Willian and Samuel Eto’o under the former ownership of Roman Abramovich comes into light.

In a startling development, the Premier League is contemplating the possibility of deducting points from Chelsea Football Club following the club’s self-reporting of alleged undisclosed payments associated with the transfers of Willian and Samuel Eto’o.

This revelation has triggered an inquiry into potential financial breaches at Stamford Bridge.

Interestingly, it was the Todd Boehly consortium, the new owners who assumed control of Chelsea in May 2022, who reported these controversial deals to the league authorities.

Their acquisition of the club came on the heels of the UK government imposing sanctions on former owner Roman Abramovich in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Previously, Chelsea faced a fine of £8.6 million from UEFA for submitting “incomplete financial information” spanning from 2012 to 2019.

However, recent reports from The Times suggest that the situation may worsen as the transfers of Willian and Eto’o, who joined Chelsea from Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala in August 2013, are now under intense scrutiny.

Financial records have raised concerns, indicating that payments were made by Chelsea to offshore companies and “Russian entities,” separate from any standard transfer fees.

Notably, Willian was secured for a reported £30 million from Anzhi, while Eto’o arrived at Chelsea on a free transfer. Importantly, there is no implication that either player had knowledge of these concealed payments.