Chelsea’s failure to qualify for next season’s Champions League will cost players millions in wages.
The Blues’ elimination from this season’s competition at the hands of Real Madrid on Tuesday night, April 19, means the two times winners will miss out on playing in European football’s elite club tournament for the 2023-24 campaign.
Following their arrival, new owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital implemented a bonus structure to player contracts linked to Champions League qualification that would see their wages fluctuate depending on whether they were playing in the competition.
It was a significant change from the ownership era of Roman Abramovich, who only rewarded players for winning trophies.
According to Sports Mail, the club’s most recent signings, or those who have agreed new contracts, will see their earning power slashed by at least 30 percent.
Sources have indicated that some contracts have also been discussed which have included potential wage increases as high as 50 per cent linked to Chelsea being in the Champions League.
The decision to enforce an incentivised salary structure was designed to motivate players – but it also provides Chelsea with a degree of protection against the financial shortfall incurred by the failure to qualify for the hugely lucrative Champions League.
Chelsea have signed 12 senior players on permanent contracts since the Boehly-Clearlake takeover, while seven existing squad members have signed fresh terms since Abramovich’s departure, with the majority set to be impacted by Chelsea’s Champions League exit.