Chelsea are preparing for a fresh start after a frustrating 2025-26 campaign. The Blues finished 10th in the Premier League and missed out on European qualification.
The club responded by appointing Xabi Alonso and backing him heavily in the transfer market.
Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra and Geovany Quenda are among the new arrivals, while several senior players could still leave Stamford Bridge.
Despite the busy summer, Chelsea have now received a major punishment over historical financial breaches.
Chelsea have admitted 74 breaches of FA Rule E1.2. The FA fined the club £10M and imposed a suspended two-window registration ban.
The breaches relate to payments made between 2011 and 2018 under former owner Roman Abramovich.
Chelsea admitted making £47M in undisclosed payments to unregistered agents and third parties.
Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital uncovered the issues during their takeover in 2022 before voluntarily reporting them to the FA.
The governing body initially handed Chelsea a suspended six-point deduction alongside the financial penalty. However, the club appealed that sporting sanction.
An independent Appeal Board removed the suspended points deduction and replaced it with a suspended two-window registration ban. Chelsea can still continue with their transfer plans.
The registration ban will remain suspended until 30 June 2027. It will only come into force if Chelsea commit similar breaches before that deadline.
That means Alonso is free to register the club’s new signings for the upcoming season. The FA also confirmed that the £10M fine will fund grassroots football across England.
Meanwhile, the governing body continues to investigate possible individual misconduct connected to the case. Those enquiries remain separate from the sanctions imposed on Chelsea as a club.
The punishment closes another chapter linked to Chelsea’s previous ownership. The club will now focus on rebuilding under Alonso and improving on last season’s disappointing campaign.
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