Todd Boehly sent stern FFP warning as Tottenham and Chelsea ask Xabi Alonso transfer question
Todd Boehly sent stern FFP warning as Tottenham and Chelsea ask Xabi Alonso transfer question
Mauricio Pochettino will be determined to continue Chelsea’s winning streak following the international break as the race for European football builds a head of steam. The former Tottenham Hotspur boss currently faces an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues struggling to climb the Premier League table.
Despite having gone the distance in the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, Chelsea remain in the bottom half of the English top flight. In other news, the January transfer window may have slammed shut a few months ago but there’s plenty of life left in the rumour mill.
The west London outfit continue to be heavily linked with numerous players but, as the Premier League continue to clamp down on those who breach their spending rules, Todd Boehly could think twice before splashing the cash.
Barcelona rule out transfer
Joan Laporta has ruled out the departure of Frenkie De Jong ahead of the summer transfer window. The 26-year-old midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea in the past, but it seems unlikely that he’ll leave the Camp Nou anytime soon.
“The last thing he would want would be to leave Barcelona,” the Barcelona president told Mundo Deportivo. “He has told me more than once, that he is delighted here. We have margin. We are delighted with him. I’m not worried about anyone and if someone wants to leave, we can’t go against a player’s will.
“But I think everyone wants to stay and we want everyone we have to stay. We don’t want any of them to leave, because no team in history has been a flash in the pan. The teams that have won have had a period of consolidation and maturation.
“This team is having it with very young people and will pass us by with the previous stage. We have players who will last many years, all of these we are talking about. We have to prioritise making the entire team powerful.”
Chelsea sent warning
Keith Wyness believes Chelsea could soon be issued a points deduction. Speaking on the Inside Track podcast, the former Everton chief said: “I think this time next year we’re going to be sitting here discussing the Chelsea rule breach. I don’t think the Premier League have left themselves anywhere else to go but a serious points deduction.
“I think Chelsea could have had the biggest breach so far unless there is some very clever engineering done in the transfer market, but I think it will be very hard to do. Listen, don’t underestimate Todd Boehly and his ability and connections with Saudi Arabia.
“There are a lot of connections between Saudi and his investment group to try and pull something out of the fire, but I feel there is no way out of this one for Chelsea. This time next year, we’ll be talking about unhappy Chelsea fans.
“There will be a lot more documents from the Everton and Nottingham Forest cases setting up precedents for how these things are going to be handled.”
Bayer Leverkusen enquiry
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur could lock horns over the signing of Jonathan Tah this summer. The 28-year-old defender has been briefly linked with a move to the Premier League for a while now as he continues to impress in the Bundesliga.
According to German publication Bild, as quoted by 90min, the Blues and the Lilywhites have both asked Bayer Leverkusen about the availability of the defender. Tah, who sees his contract at the BayArena expire in 2025, has featured 33 times for Xabi Alonso’s side the season, playing a crucial role in the club’s unbeaten domestic campaign.
