Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have reportedly slashed the average salary amongst the clubs' superstars ahead of Mauricio Pochettino's imminent arrival.
The Argentine is expected to take over from Frank Lampard at the end of the season. He will become Boehly's third permanent manager of his reign at Stamford Bridge following Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter.
Pochettino's appointment must work for all parties, with Chelsea enduring one of their worst Premier League seasons. The Blues will finish below the top 10 for the first time since 1996, despite Boehly's £600million spending.
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The most pressing matter for the former Tottenham boss to contend with is the size of the playing squad. Pochettino will inherit a squad with over 30 senior players in, meaning a host of them will be sold on.
Mason Mount, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Hakim Ziyech are all favourites to depart, leaving Chelsea forced to sign, at least, two or three players.
However, the club ownership has reduced the average wage bill in west London to under £75,000 per week. According to The Times, the American businessman and Behdad Eghbali were bemused by the sky-high salaries handed out under Roman Abramovich's time - including Romelu Lukaku's deal seeing him pocket £315,000-a-week.
It's claimed that Boehly and Co. want to lower the risk of any potential incomings not going to plan by getting players to sign longer contracts on lower wages. Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke all signed deals until at least 2030.
As a result of these long-term deals, the wage bill has been reduced to between £70,000 and £75,000 a week.
Any plans Pochettino had at signing some of Europe's elite may be fractured. The likes of Victor Osimhen and Moises Caicedo may refuse to join if they are not offered significantly higher wages as they were before.
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