Revealed: How unbeaten Chelsea’s transfer activity could cripple their title challenge

Chelsea may have made an unbeaten start to the Premier League season under Maurizio Sarri and find themselves well in the title hunt heading into the winter months, but they could be about to be hit with some serious repercussions over their recent transfer activity.

The club are one of five Premier League clubs being investigated by FIFA’s Integrity and Compliance Unit and a report by investigative website Mediapart claims that the unit have suggested a two-year transfer ban for Chelsea, which would rule them out of signing players for the next four transfer windows.

Quotes published in The Telegraph suggest the Blues are not the only club that could face a ban. A source close to the investigation told the newspaper:

“This a massive investigation that will implicate a number of clubs. It will touch most of the big clubs around Europe and in the Premier League.”

The investigation into the London club surrounds the transfers of players under the age of 18, for which FIFA have implemented tight rules in recent years. Their rules do not allow for the international transfer of players under 18 unless their parents have emigrated for non-football reasons or the player and the club are within 50km of a national border.

Bertrand Traore is one of the players Chelsea signed under the age of 18 and there has been a lot of confusion over when he actually signed for them. Speculation that he had joined Chelsea’s academy ran from 2010 when he was just 15 before he officially signed a professional contract with the club in December 2014.

Mediapart have reported that the FICU have recommended that the Blues should be banned for one transfer window over the Traore signing and three further windows for 13 other transfer offences. They could also be fined £384,000 if the Investigative Unit get their way.

Chelsea issued a statement that read: “The club has fully cooperated with Fifa and has provided comprehensive evidence demonstrating its compliance with the applicable Fifa regulations.”

Man City, Everton and Liverpool have all been punished in the past for signing academy players whilst Chelsea were also banned in 2009 over the signing of Gael Kakuta. That deal lead to the Blues being banned for two transfer windows and they face another ban this time around.

It means that Maurizio Sarri could be operating with his hands behind his back over the next two years leaving Chelsea having to go with the squad that they currently have. This would hand the initiative to Man City and Liverpool in the Premier League title race, two clubs who could seal a signing who makes the big difference in the title run-in this January.