Enzo Maresca explains Chelsea's forced sale of Conor Gallagher: 'It's a Premier League problem'

The transfer of Conor Gallagher from Chelsea to Atletico Madrid has caused a stir, as the London giant appears to have ousted one of its own academy graduates. Coach Enzo Maresca has shared his views on the matter.

Chelsea was essentially forced to sell the player, who has reached the level of representing his country at the EURO, due to Premier League rules. Mareska explained that the club had no other choice.

"It's not just a Chelsea problem. It's a problem of the rules. Clubs are forced to sell players because of the rules. It's a Premier League problem," said Maresca.

Since last season, there has been much stricter scrutiny of financial records, leading to unusual transfers this window, particularly involving young players. It has been noticeable how clubs exchange young players among themselves for €50, €60, or even €70 million.

This is done to boost the income side, where the entire compensation is accounted for. When buying a player, the given compensation is divided by the number of years the player’s contract lasts.

For example, if a team sells a young player for €50 million and buys another player for the same amount, signing a five-year contract, the revenue column will show €50 million for that year, while the expense column will show €10 million.

This is why Chelsea has been buying young players in previous transfer windows and signing them to very long contracts, lasting seven or eight years.