CHELSEA SMASHES MAN CITY’S 2011 RECORD FOR HIGHEST ANNUAL FOOTBALL DEFICIT
Chelsea Football Club faces FA fines and record deficits despite a projected £700M revenue for the 2026 season.
Chelsea has reported a pre-tax loss of £262.4 million for the 2024-25 financial year, marking the largest deficit recorded in Premier League history. This figure represents a sharp reversal from the previous year’s profit, which was largely driven by the internal sale of the club’s women’s team.
The financial statements, covering the period ending June 30, 2025, show a loss that surpasses the previous record of £197.5 million, held by Manchester City since 2011. Interestingly, just a year earlier, Chelsea had posted a profit of £128.4 million, but that was heavily influenced by the £200 million sale of Chelsea Women to Blueco Midco, a subsidiary of the parent company.
Club executives have attributed this downturn mainly to a significant increase in operating expenses during the 2024-25 season. Despite the substantial loss, Chelsea still generated £490.9 million in revenue, its second-highest figure ever, supported in part by earnings from participating in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Importantly for supporters and the management team, Chelsea insists it remains compliant with the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR). Although the rules typically limit losses to £105 million over a rolling three-year period, the club has leveraged certain “add-backs” allowed under league regulations. Expenditures related to infrastructure, the academy, and the women’s side qualify as deductible costs, helping Chelsea avoid penalties that have impacted other clubs recently. Insiders suggest the club’s financial setup now aligns fully with regulatory demands, with revenue expected to exceed £700 million in the coming 2025-26 year.
Since Todd Boehly’s consortium took over from Roman Abramovich in mid-2022, Chelsea has dramatically reshaped the transfer market, investing around £1.5 billion in new players. Yet, the club highlights its record transfer sales last summer as a counterbalance, reportedly the highest in Premier League history. Agents’ fees remain controlled, reportedly at or below league averages.
The financial report also sheds light on the women’s team. Chelsea Football Club Women Ltd posted a £17.1 million loss, despite growing revenues of £21.3 million driven by the rising popularity of women’s football.
Chelsea continues to manage issues tied to the Abramovich era. Following admissions of breaches involving payments to agents, the club anticipates fines from the Football Association. Boehly’s group had prudently set aside funds upon taking over in 2022 to cover any such penalties.
This follows a recent Premier League inquiry into undisclosed payments totalling £47.5 million under previous ownership. While there was no points deduction last month, the club was fined £10.75 million and handed a suspended one-year transfer ban. The league credited Chelsea's cooperation during the investigation for the relatively mild sporting penalties, though the club remains under conditional scrutiny concerning future UEFA compliance.
XAVI OPENLY DECLARES INTEREST IN CHELSEA JOB DURING PERMANENT MANAGER SEARCH
With Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola on the shortlist, explore why Xavi Hernández wants to take over the Chelsea hotseat next.
Xavi has openly said he’d love to manage Chelsea, and now the Blues are hunting for someone to replace Liam Rosenior.
Rosenior got the sack last month after a rough patch just three months into his huge contract that was supposed to last six and a half years. Calum McFarlane is filling in as interim head coach until season’s end, but Chelsea are actively looking for a permanent boss for the 2026/27 campaign.
They're considering some big names. Xabi Alonso’s been mentioned; he’s been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in January. Andoni Iraola, who’s about to leave Bournemouth, is also on the shortlist.
Cesc Fabregas has been linked after his strong run at Como, and Frank Lampard’s in the mix too, fresh off winning the Championship with Coventry and securing promotion.
But Xavi really stands out. He’s already made it clear he’s interested in the Chelsea job. Back in 2019, before his Barcelona return, he said, “I don’t hide it; my goal is to come back to Europe and to Barca. It's my challenge, but I’m enjoying this current project. For me, training a team in Barcelona would be a privilege, the biggest privilege.”
He didn’t just talk about Spain either. “Honestly, who doesn’t love the Premier League? The atmosphere, packed stadiums, everyone says it’s incredible,” Xavi admitted. “If I had to pick, I’d go for a big team: City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal, or Tottenham. Klopp, Pochettino, and Unai Emery are doing amazing work there.”
After returning to Barcelona in 2021, Xavi led them to a La Liga title and the Supercopa de España before Hansi Flick took over in 2024. He’s been out of work since.
Now, Chelsea seems seriously interested in the Spaniard. According to The i, the club wants someone who can embed a strong football identity across their teams, something Enzo Maresca started.
Getting Xavi won’t be easy, though. Morocco’s national team reportedly sees him as a top candidate to replace Walid Regragui, and Manchester United is eyeing him too as they weigh options beyond Michael Carrick.
Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso is the bookmakers’ favourite for the Chelsea role, but word is he’d want more control over club decisions if he moves to west London.
COLE PALMER MISSES PENALTY AS CHELSEA SUFFER HISTORIC SIXTH CONSECUTIVE LEAGUE DEFEAT
Chelsea matched a 1912 record with their 6th straight loss, falling 3-1 to Forest as Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice at the Bridge.
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Chelsea hit rock bottom again, losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge. That’s six Premier League defeats in a row now, something the club hadn’t seen since 1912. Just when you thought the season couldn’t get any worse, Forest showed up with a makeshift lineup and absolutely stunned them. Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice, one barely a minute into the match, and then Igor Jesus put away a penalty, and suddenly Forest was six points clear of the drop zone.
Chelsea hadn’t scored in five games, and it looked like that streak would go on forever. Then, in stoppage time, Joao Pedro finally managed an overhead kick to break the drought. That run was made even more ridiculous earlier when Cole Palmer missed a first-half penalty. Matz Sels, Forest’s backup goalkeeper, saved it.
Honestly, the crowd in the Shed End probably barely recognised their own team. Pereira swapped in seven new outfield players, most of them with almost no league experience; he was clearly thinking about the upcoming Europa League semi-final. But it looked like Chelsea was the stranger out there.
Things only got worse for interim head coach Calum McFarlane. He lost Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho to late injuries, so 18-year-old Jesse Derry had to make his Premier League debut. Then, late in the first half, Derry collided heads with Forest’s Zach Abbott and had to be stretchered off after getting oxygen. It was brutal to watch.
The match itself? Chaos. Less than two minutes in, Chelsea messed up their own throw-in and let Forest stroll through midfield. Dilane Bakwa beat Marc Cucurella with little effort and crossed to Awoniyi, who was completely unmarked and headed it in.
Fifteen minutes later, Chelsea conceded again. Bakwa whipped in another cross; Malo Gusto pulled Awoniyi’s shirt, and VAR handed Forest a penalty. Jesus hammered it right down the middle.
The first half was hopeless, and by the end, serious concern set in after that nasty head clash between Derry and Abbott. Abbott, playing just his second league game, left on his own, but Derry needed serious treatment and was stretchered off.
After a nearly ten-minute stoppage, Palmer’s penalty was stopped by Sels. At halftime, Levi Colwill returned from a major injury he hadn’t played since tearing his ACL in August. He tried to restore order, but nothing changed.
Forest’s third goal came just seven minutes into the second half. Gibbs-White crossed, and Awoniyi tapped in from close range, just managing to stay onside. Chelsea’s keeper, Robert Sanchez, took a knock and left with a bandaged head after colliding with Gibbs-White.
Pedro’s late goal barely counted for anything. The few Chelsea fans left in the stadium cheered, but it was more out of irony than joy.
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