Chelsea sporting directors explain why they hand out enormous contracts to players

Chelsea have adopted a bold strategy when it comes to contracts since Todd Boehly’s arrival at Stamford Bridge and the club’s sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart have explained the approach

Chelsea chiefs Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart believe the club’s approach to huge contracts is all part of a long-term strategy - not to navigate financial rules.

The Blues have been happy to hand out lengthy deals to their stars since Todd Boehly’s arrival in 2022. Even players already with a number of seasons remaining on their deals have been offered lengthy extensions.

That includes Cole Palmer, who this summer extended his deal until 2033. Fellow forward Nicolas Jackson also signed a new long-term contract, also until 2033.

Co-sporting directors Winstanley and Stewart have now explained that the strategy ensures Chelsea keep hold of their better players - as opposed to navigating around the Premier League ’s Profit and Sustainability rules.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Winstanley said: “People always sit and think ‘well that’s what we’ve always done, so that’s what we’ve always got to continue doing’. But without forward thinking and progression, everyone will stand still. So it’s a clever concept the owners implemented in the beginning and what they believed in. Once we looked at it together in isolation, we were like ‘yeah, you can definitely see how this can work’. And we believe in it.”

He added: “Well, you’re not getting any benefit from a PSR position on it any more and we’ve still continued with it. So if it was just for PSR, we’d have stopped doing it. That was never at the forefront of the owners’ minds when we spoke to them about how we see it working, how we all see it working as a club.”

“It’s because the players, the talent and the value they have over the long term is really important to the clubs,” Stewart then revealed. “Really, it is the biggest nod towards the ability to identify talent. You’ve got to get that right if you’re going to put players on these long contracts and then it’s your ability to develop players and develop talent, and that’s one of the key things that we talk about internally, is to make our players better, across all of our teams.”

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Despite the explanations, Chelsea’s contract strategy has courted criticism. Former Manchester United star Gary Neville is among those to have taken aim.

Speaking earlier this year, he said: "One thing we do know is they have recruited badly. There are players they bought two years ago who they are already trying to get rid of. It feels chaotic and bizarre some of the contract lengths being given.

"I ask the question quite regularly; what is it they know that the rest of football doesn't know? Smart clubs like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Arsenal, Man City - what do this group of owners know that the rest of football doesn't?

"I'm still asking that question and still haven't got the answer. You relate it to things like amortisation, FFP, sustainability rules - no it's not. Cole Palmer, nine-year contract, he was already at the club. There's no real benefit there, it doesn't help with sustainability.”

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