Chelsea's wage bill highest in football history

Things are going well on the pitch for Chelsea, but aspects of their financial situation give some cause for concern.   Their wage bill for the year ending 30 June 2009 was £142.6m, the highest such figure in English football history.   The club has also paid £35.7m in compensation to coaches whose contracts have been terminated in the last two years.

At a time when there is increasing realisation of the value of gate money, illustrated by the imperative need for Liverpool to build a new stadium, the capacity of Stamford Bridge and its relative lack of executive boxes remains a constraint.   However, no feasible alternative site has really ever been identified.