The Premier League has opened an investigation into Chelsea’s signings of attacking midfielder Willian and center forward Eto’o.
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Therefore, this investigation is part of the league’s larger inspection of payments in tax havens made during the period in which the English club was owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
Thus, the information was first published by the British newspaper “The Times”, and the “Telegraph” brought other details.
Chelsea’s payment history has been a cause for concern for over a year. Shortly before the agreement to sell the club, £100 million was said to have been removed from the price to cover “unforeseen liabilities”.
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Both Willian and Eto’o were signed by Chelsea in August 2013 from Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala. The Brazilian midfielder would have cost 30 million pounds ((R$ 118.5 million at the time), and the Cameroonian striker came via transfer without paying a fine.
As a result, payments would have been made to “Russian entities” for these signings — this is what the Premier League is investigating. Players have no relationship with such payments.
The English league’s investigations began after Chelsea’s new owners, the consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehly, voluntarily handed over reports on the club’s financial transactions, between 2012 and 2019, to the English Football Federation (FA), the English league and UEFA. Millions of pounds paid to six offshore companies are under scrutiny.
In a statement, Chelsea stated that such allegations predate the current management of the club, and that they concern entities that were allegedly controlled by the former owner (Roman Abramovich) and that do not have any link with any individual currently in the club.
“During due diligence work prior to completing the purchase of the club, the ownership group became aware of potential incomplete financial reporting and transaction history. The club has proactively assisted regulators in their investigations and will continue to do so,” Chelsea said.