Nobody knows when fans will universally be allowed back into stadiums. Nobody knows how the downturn in the advertising market will affect future broadcast rights deals. Nobody knows how bad this economic crisis will be and how many fans will feel they're able to afford television packages or tickets, or how long-term commercial and merchandising revenues may be affected. In a time of uncertainty, with at the very least a short-term hole in their budgets, most football clubs are retrenching.
But not Chelsea.
With the signing of Kai Havertz on Friday from Bayern Leverkusen for an initial reported fee of $105 million, potentially rising to over $120 million, Chelsea has taken its spending this summer to around $300 million on transfer fees alone, while adding a little under $60 million annually to the wage bill.