CHELSEA POINTS DEDUCTION: RELEGATION DOGFIGHT BECKONS AS EXPERT PREDICTS HUGE PENALTY OVER PSR RULE BREAK

Chelsea have been warned they could be hit with a mammoth 15-point penalty THIS season in a move that could plunge the Blues into an unexpected fight for Premier League survival.

It’s been a difficult season for Todd Boehly‘s expensively-assembled squad, who on Tuesday evening were pumped 5-0 away to Arsenal and earlier this season missed the chance to claim a first trophy of his era when they let an inexperienced Liverpool side off the hook in the Carabao Cup final.

And while fortunes since that defeat have improved with Gary Neville’s ‘Blue billion pound bottle jobs’ jibe seemingly acting as a spur, Mauricio Pochettino’s side were brought crashing back down to earth after their chastening thrashing at Emirates Stadium.

That loss means Chelsea remain ninth in the Premier League and have it all to do if they are to overhaul Manchester United in seventh for a likely place in next season’s UEFA Conference League.

DON’T MISS: The ridiculous XI of players Chelsea sold before they hit their prime: Salah, De Bruyne, Ampadu…

However, their season could be about to take a dramatic new turn for the worse amid reports their efforts to avoid a PSR loophole has been exposed by the Premier League – and a massive 15-point deduction this season could be forthcoming.

Such a deduction would leave Chelsea, currently on 47 points, on just 32 – and just seven points clear of the relegation zone as a result.

And while many would expect the Blues to have enough of a buffer in their remaining games left to survive, the prospect of Chelsea finishing in the lower reaches of the Premier League table is not a prospect either Pochettino or Boehly envisaged for this season.

Chelsea possible points penalty explained

Per allegations, Chelsea have tried to avoid a potential Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) after selling two hotels to a sister company for a total of £76.5m.

Had they not made that sale, the Blues would have been at risk of breaking the regulations and facing a penalty similar to the ones faced by both Everton and Nottingham Forest this season.

But as Football Insider reports, the sale of the hotels is being probed by the Premier League amid an investigation into whether the properties were offloaded for ‘fair market value’.

And given the sales were also made to a sister company, football finance expert Kieran Maguire reckons both Everton and Nottingham Forest have a right to feel aggrieved.

However, Maguire suggests the Blues could well still suffer a hefty punishment and has expalined why a mammoth penalty could be on the cards.

“I think both Everton and Nottingham Forest are absolutely right to be furious at Chelsea,” Maguire said.

“Forest were £34.5m over the limit and Everton were £16.5m over in 2022-23.

“It would appear that Chelsea are in the region of £70m over the limit.

“Given that it’s supposed to be one point for every £6.5m over the limit and three points for breaching the rules they should be looking at a 15-point deduction.

“If I was a fan or anybody connected with Everton or Forest, I’d be throwing my hands up in the air.”

Meanwhile, despite their struggles this season, TEAMtalk sources have revealed the Blues hierarchy have finally reached a final decision on the future of under-fire manager Pochettino.

2024-04-24T09:15:45Z dg43tfdfdgfd