Premier League champions Chelsea have acquired the unwanted record of becoming the first club to break £1bn in net debt, according to research by sports business group Deloitte.
The Annual Review of Football Finance showed that during the 2013-14 season, owner Roman Abramovich provided £57m in additional loans to the club.
Jose Mourinho’s side had already spent £30m and £21m on players Willian and Nemanja Matic respectively.
However, with a record £99m secured in prize money this season and around £100m recouped in the transfer market, Abramovich may not have to dip into his pocket quite so soon again.
Deloitte’s report showed that 19 out of the 20 Premier League clubs actually made an operating profit, helped in large part by the high television deals. Manchester United’s was the largest at £117m.
The research goes some way to proving the effectiveness of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations, brought in to reduce debt among football clubs. Arsenal, Tottenham and Aston Villa were among the nine teams who collectively reduced their net debt by £205m.
However, UEFA president Michel Platini admitted last month that FFP regulations were likely to be eased this summer after criticism from certain clubs who argued that the current system unfairly penalised new investors in teams.
Heavily backed sides such as Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain fell foul of UEFA’s laws and were handed record fines.
Amid pressure from the European Club Association, Platini conceded that there may be some leeway for big-spending sides in the future.
He told French radio station RTL: “The world is two-faced but we will say this openly: I think we’ll ease things, but it will be the executive committee who will decide if it is to be eased, and the outcome will be known by the end of June.”
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