(Reuters) – Chelsea manager Graham Potter said the length of contracts being handed to their new signings carries an element of risk but he supports the club’s strategy.
Chelsea signed Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk on an eight-and-a-half-year contract while defender Benoit Badiashile and winger Noni Madueke have agreed seven-and-a-half-year deals during a busy transfer window for the Premier League side.
English clubs have rarely handed players deals longer than six years but it is common in U.S. sports where Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly owns a stake in Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers.
“There is no guarantee anywhere, no magic formula that says this is going to work and this is how we see the future,” Potter told reporters.
“The players we identified are young, they’ve got quality. With Mudryk and Joao (Felix) coming on loan there’s a certain type of player in terms of age. They are starting their careers so they are ambitious … they’re here to win and compete.
“Those are the upsides but is there a life without risk? No. Whatever you do there is risk and there is a chance it might not work. You have to understand that and the consequences.”
Chelsea have had trouble moving expensive players on, their record 97.5 million pounds ($120.83 million) signing of Romelu Lukaku being the latest example after the unhappy striker returned to Inter Milan on loan.
“If things go well you have a fantastic asset and the club is secure in terms of the contract length,” Potter added.
“There’s lots of factors. It’s a direction the club wants to go down and obviously I am supporting that as best I can.”
($1 = 0.8069 pounds)
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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