Chelsea’s motivation for doing well in the Club World Cup is likely as financially-based as it is winning the trophy itself.
Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have bankrolled the Blues spending massive transfer fees across the past three years, in order to try and get them back amongst England and Europe’s elite.
Enzo Maresca’s side more than did their bit in the opening group stage game, winning 2-0 against LAFC thanks to goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez.
Winning the Conference League handed Chelsea enough prize money to pay Cole Palmer for two years, and the financial opportunities continue to come with the Club World Cup.
Chelsea’s Club World Cup prize money for win over LAFC
Chelsea’s opening victory in the competition pocketed them £1.5m, with that set to be the prize for any win in the group stages of the competition.
Going all the way in the competition could see the Blues end up with around £90m, however that figure could drop after Chelsea failed to negotiate a front of shirt sponsor for ahead of the tournament.
The incoming millions will no doubt be put towards new signings. The Blues are still strongly linked with the signing of Jamie Gittens to address their left-wing vacancy.
However, the money will also ease the salary demands of players at the club, including one individual who is set for a big season at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s CWC prize money can pay Andrey Santos for 100 weeks
Andrey Santos enjoyed a brilliant loan spell at Strasbourg last season. He was described as ‘exceptional’ during his time in France (Ligue 1 official website).
According to Capology, Andrey Santos earns £15,000 per week via his Chelsea contract, meaning the £1.5m earned by the club for their 2-0 win can pay the Brazilian for 100 weeks, nearly two years.
While the fixture build-up is no doubt worrying for the fitness of their first team squad, as well as concerning for their preparation for the new Premier League season, the financial implications could be very sweet for Chelsea over the next few weeks.
Maresca’s side will be looking to build on their opening-game victory when they face Flamengo on Friday night. The Brazilian side also picked up a 2-0 win in their first game.
