Lo and behold, the ethos at Chelsea Football club has finally changed, says Norman Hubbard of ESPN Soccernet. Gone are the heady spending days of old when Manager Jose Mourinho could simply buy whatever the player at whatever the price. After three years of massive losses and sky-high wage bills, the Blues board, like any other business, may finally be answering to financial accountability. That means owner Roman Abramovich has pulled back on the funds, as evidenced by the club’s recent spate of cheap summer signings.
It’s the antithesis of an era that should be deemed “the Abramovich era,” because the Russian billionaire made it fashionable for rich foreign investors to buy EPL clubs and flood them with cash to spend on players. Yet so far this year (though it’s still very early), Hubbard says Chelsea’s signings have amounted to just $1 in transfer fees. Compare that to the nearly $120 million the club spent on players last summer (of which Andriy Shevchenko cost half). None of the new faces are headline-blaring big names, either: Peruvian playmaker-striker Claudio Pizarro, midfielder Steve Sidwell — an Englishman! — and Brazilian defender Alex. Never mind their high wages, but at least Abramovich and co. are trying to cut back on their addiction to high transfer fees.
Meanwhile, EPL champ Manchester United is having one of its most expensive summers yet, shelling out nearly $100 million for the likes of Owen Hargreaves, Portuguese winger Nani and young Brazilian Anderson-and they haven’t even added a striker yet. Though it hasn’t spent a dime yet, Liverpool is also preparing a hefty summer shopping spree.