Chelsea players face £2m wage cuts following Nottingham Forest defeat
Chelsea’s players are facing wage reductions of up to £2m each after a 3-1 defeat against Nottingham Forest left their Champions League qualification hopes hanging by a thread.
The west London side slumped to their sixth consecutive Premier League defeat on Monday, leaving them stranded in ninth place on 48 points.
With just three fixtures remaining this season, the two-time European champions are four points adrift of sixth-placed Bournemouth.
Financial implications of missing Europe
Contractual clauses dictate that weekly salaries will be slashed by between £30,000 and £40,000 if Europe’s elite club competition is not secured.
Given the size of the current squad, these individual pay cuts could result in total savings exceeding £50m for the Stamford Bridge outfit.
The club has earned approximately £100m from competing in the tournament this season through prize money, matchday income and sponsor bonuses.
Club captain Reece James is among those affected, having signed a contract extension in March that aligned him with the incentive-based wage structure introduced by the BlueCo ownership.
Forest defeat exposes defensive frailties
The hosts were comprehensively outplayed during large spells of Monday’s crucial domestic encounter against the relegation-threatened visitors.
Taiwo Awoniyi netted a brace and Igor Jesus converted a penalty to put the Reds 3-0 ahead, before Joao Pedro scored a stoppage-time consolation goal.
Interim manager Calum McFarlane was left furious by the sluggish start that ultimately condemned his side to another damaging loss.
“The first 15 minutes were unacceptable,” said McFarlane.
“The manner of the two goals conceded really set us back and gave us a mountain to climb.”
“It’s a ruthless game, it’s a really high level, and we cannot start like that.”