Why are Chelsea signing players to long contracts?
Mykhaylo Mudryk has joined Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk for a fee of up to €100m on a seven-and-a-half-year contract . The first reaction to this deal may very well be: How much? Yet, the question of 'how long?' is just as important. The Boehly-Clearlake consortium forked out in excess of £4bn to acquire Chelsea Football Club in May. In the intervening seven months, the money has continued to flow at a frightening pace. Prior to Mudryk's arrival, Chelsea had already spent more than £300m on transfer fees across the summer and winter windows of the 2022/23 campaign. While the top-line cost of these players - who range from a teenage Brazilian starlet to a 33-year-old striker very much on the wane - naturally catches the eye, the unusually long duration of the contracts these players have been handed is a crucial element to Chelsea's transfer strategy. Chelsea confirm signing of Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk Why did Mykhaylo Mudryk choose Chelsea over Arsenal?...