CHELSEA are allegedly worried that sacking Mauricio Pochettino could result in the club breaching Premier League spending rules.
Owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake have splashed out over £1BILLION on new players since xtaking over in the summer of 2022.
It was hoped that huge outlay would help ensure a return to the Champions League, along with the financial rewards that brings.
But they currently sit in the bottom half of the table after the dismal 4-2 home defeat to Wolves.
Despite reaching the Carabao Cup Final, where they will take on Liverpool, fans have turned on boss Pochettino after their dire displays.
There have been calls for Jose Mourinho to return to Stanford Bridge for a third time as pressure mounts on the Argentine.
But Pochettino still has 18 months remaining on his deal.
And now the Daily Mail has claimed that serious financial concerns over sacking Pochettino have emerged as a significant factor.
They state that axing him and his large backroom team would cost over £10m with any pre-June pay-off counting towards the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) for this season.
Chelsea are already struggling considering their massive transfer outlay and their case was not helped by failing to offload home-grown talents such as Armando Broja and Trevoh Chalobah on a permanent basis last term.
Rules state that clubs can lose £105m max over a three-year-period.
There are a number of exceptions clubs can use to help – but severance pay to sacked managers is not included.
Boehly and the rest of the ownership group have already shelled out over £20m in compensation in getting rid of Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter.
