CHELSEA are set to slash 19 players’ wages when they fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
The Blues crashed out of the competition last night after being beaten 4-0 on aggregate by Real Madrid.
The defeat ended Chelsea’s faint prospect of qualifying for next season’s Champions League by virtue of winning it this time around.
And with Frank Lampard’s side 11th in the Premier League, 17 points off fourth with seven matches left, they will not qualify for Europe’s premier competition via their league position either.
Co-owner Todd Boehly has guarded against the financial hit of not being in the Champions League by inserting clauses in players’ contracts.
According to the Telegraph, some stars will see their wages slashed by as much as 30 per cent.
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Only players that have signed contracts since Boehly’s takeover last year will be affected.
This includes the 12 permanent signings made, as well as seven senior players that have extended their contracts.
First team squad members who have not extended their contracts since Boehly’s arrival will not have their salaries reduced.
Under Roman Abramovich, Chelsea would only tie bonuses to winning trophies, rather than merely qualifying for the Champions League.
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High earners remaining on Abramovich-era contracts include Kepa Arrizabalaga and Kai Havertz.
While key man N’Golo Kante is set to be out of contract this summer, and would need to sign an extension on Boehly’s terms.
Thiago Silva, Reece James, Cesar Azpilicueta, Ben Chilwell, Trevoh Chalobah, Armando Broja and Marcus Bettinelli have penned new deals since Boehly’s arrival.
The American, 49, went into the Chelsea dressing room after their 2-1 defeat to Brighton on Saturday – ranting that his stars are “embarrassing”.
Thiago Silva subsequently blasted the Chelsea owners’ strategy after his side’s Champions League exit last night.
The Brazilian scathingly told TNT Sports Brazil: “I think the first step has been made, an incorrect step, but it has been made.
“We can’t be blaming the managers if we don’t take responsibility. It’s a hard period for the club, with a lot of indecision.
“Change of ownership, new players arriving – we had to increase the size of the changing room because it didn’t fit the size of the squad.
“A positive point is that there are amazing players in the squad but on the other hand there are always players that are going to be unhappy.
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“There is always going to be someone upset because not everyone can play. The manager can only pick 11 from a squad of 30-something – that’s tough.
“Some can’t make the squad, we signed eight in January, we need to stop and put a strategy in place otherwise next season we could make the same mistakes.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
