Former Chelsea senior executive Christian Purslow believes the Premier League has been "way too generous" in its punishment of the club for making secret payments relating to transfers. The fine is the largest ever imposed by the Premier League but the club avoided any sporting sanctions, such as a points deduction. "I think this is the most serious thing to break in the Premier League for a long time," Purslow said on The Football Boardroom, external podcast. Purslow, a former managing director of Liverpool and Aston Villa chief executive, added: "I think the vast majority of people in the game... will view this as an extremely lenient and favourable outcome for Chelsea Football Club. Purslow was head of commercial activities at Chelsea between 2014 and 2017, but insisted he had "nothing to do with the playing side".

Source: BBC March 18, 2026 16:57 UTC