Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin has urged caution about other clubs following the Blues' trading model, despite some signs that their controversial approach to recruitment may be paying off as they sit inside the Premier League's top four.
Ahead of a weekend contest with Liverpool, who have been commended for their relative stability by Reds expert David Lynch, Chelsea's strategy appears to be bearing some fruit.
Only four points behind the league leaders, while averaging over two goals per game, Enzo Maresca's side could move within touching distance of the summit on Sunday evening.
However, Nevin told Sports Mole that the club's owners are "gambling" on things falling in their favour, saying: "I think people have to accept there are dangers in the Chelsea method."
Creative midfielders or creative accountants? Chelsea must heed Everton's example
Although a long-awaited takeover appears to be near, Everton's secured debts total many millions, and they posted losses of £89.1m for the 2022-23 season, leading to a Premier League points deduction for breaching financial rules.
Nevin suggests that the Merseyside club should serve as a cautionary tale for Todd Boehly and co-owners Clearlake Capital, led by Behdad Eghbali.
"My two teams were Everton and Chelsea. I remember what Everton did, and I remember where they ended up, where they took risky strategies," he told Sports Mole.
"(Chelsea's) strategies will pay off or not pay off, but there's a lot of money being spent there. It looks OK at this moment in time, but if you're in a football club, you have to take care of it long term.
"Some of these players are on long, long contracts. What if they start not working quite as well, and you're stuck there for a long, long time? Remember, you're paying those contracts."
Aside from a unique approach to player trading, Chelsea have generated funds in several different ways since the demise of Roman Abramovich's reign in 2022.
"They've had to do quite a lot of strange things: they've sold off the women's team, they've sold off the hotels, to themselves, basically. So it's all very well having creative midfielders, but you also need a creative accountant," said Nevin.
"You need to be careful with that. (If) certain things that they're slightly gambling on going in their favour don't go in their favour, that's a danger, because they certainly haven't found a magic money tree. I'm sure there are risks. However, it looks OK at the moment."
Can Boehly and co trump Liverpool's FSG success?
© Imago
Chelsea are ultimately aiming to regain their status as Premier League title contenders, and they hope to follow in the footsteps of another American-owned club, Liverpool, who rose out of mediocrity several years ago.
Reds expert David Lynch recently told Sports Mole that Fenway Sports Group are "comfortably the best owners in the Premier League", having brought about a return to the higher echelons of English and European football.
"So many great decisions in terms of infrastructure have been made there, and then you ally that to the sporting success. I think you just have to say it is overwhelmingly positive," he said.
As opposed to Chelsea's seemingly scattergun approach - which has yet to be vindicated - FSG are perceived to be much more frugal when it comes to transfer dealings, and Liverpool's recruitment record has generally been commended.
Lynch believes that a strict policy of only signing the right players should been considered a strength, rather than being cause for criticism, and two very different ideologies will clash when the clubs meet at Anfield on Sunday.
Pat Nevin was talking to Sports Mole on behalf of sports betting site BetVictor.
Jonathan O'Shea
