Explaining why Chelsea have been branded ‘most wasteful team’ in Premier League

Chelsea’s reputation as one of football’s financial powerhouses is well-known, but their spending habits have recently earned them an unflattering title: the most wasteful team in the Premier League.

This ranking highlights the gap between their massive investments in player wages and the returns they get on the pitch.

At the heart of this issue is Chelsea’s tendency to pile up unused payroll. This refers to the wages paid to players who rarely see any game time.

To measure wastefulness, two factors were analyzed in a special feature by ESPN:

• The raw amount of unused payroll (how much is spent on unused players);
• The percentage of total wages tied to those players.

By combining these metrics, Chelsea came out on top for the sheer scale of their wage inefficiencies.

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What sets Chelsea apart?

Chelsea ranked third in raw unused payroll and sixth in the percentage of their wages devoted to unused players.

While other teams may rank higher in one of these areas, Chelsea’s consistently poor scores in both categories make their wastefulness unparalleled.

For instance, Ben Chilwell has not played a single minute this season, yet his wages are among the highest in the league.

Similarly, Reece James, another star player, has played only 16.7% of the available minutes.

Combined with several big-money signings like Christopher Nkunku and Joao Felix who have also struggled for game time, Chelsea’s unused wage bill balloons.

Other teams, like Manchester United and Manchester City, have higher raw unused payrolls but fare better in percentage terms.

Conversely, teams with higher percentages, like Southampton, lack the enormous wage bills of clubs like Chelsea. This balance between the two metrics is why Chelsea leads the pack in inefficiency.

Chelsea’s staggering payroll inefficiency raises questions about their long-term strategy.

While their talent pool is deep, it’s evident that they aren’t optimizing player usage. Without significant changes, their financial missteps could overshadow their ambitions.

MORE: All the latest EPL club news | Team-by-team Premier League schedule for 2024/25 | Latest Premier League top scorer rankings

Complete list of 20 Premier League teams on ESPN’s Premier League waste feature