3-0 defeat to Brighton 

Chelsea set to break own record - most valuable squads to NOT qualify for Champions League

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Chelsea’s miserable run of form continued at the AMEX on Tuesday evening as they were dismantled by Brighton. The game finished 3-0 to the Seagulls, meaning the Blues have now suffered five Premier League defeats in-a-row without scoring for the first time since 1912. Despite spending over €2 billion since the turn of the decade, Champions League qualification now looks well beyond Chelsea.

Their only chance now would probably be if they were to finish sixth, and Aston Villa were to finish fifth and win the Europa League – therefore handing an extra Champions League place to the Premier League. Chelsea currently sit seventh, but could be as low as 11th by the end of the weekend. If they do miss out on qualification, which seems extremely likely at this stage, they will break their own record as the most valuable squad to ever miss out on Champions League football.

The most valuable squads to NOT qualify for Champions League

Chelsea’s current squad value stands at €1.16 billion – the sixth most valuable squad in the world. That figure would eclipse the previous record, which was also set by Chelsea back in the 2022/23 season, when they had a squad value of €1.02b and finished 12th. Chelsea once again take third spot, boasting a €946 million squad value in the 2023/24 campaign where they finished sixth. Liverpool then take fourth having had a squad worth €879m in the 2022/23 season, where they finished fifth and missed out on qualifying for the Champions League.

Chelsea feature again in fifth in the 2017/18 season, with Tottenham and Manchester United completing the rest of the top 10. We have to go all the way down to 21st on the list to find the first non-Premier League team, which was Napoli in the 2019/20 season – they had a squad value of €527m and finished seventh in Serie A. This list both highlights the financial muscle of the Premier League and the lavish spending from Chelsea backfiring. The Blues could be in serious trouble without the money from Champions League football next term.