Pochettino: Tottenham should have been champions in 2016-17 after Chelsea's secret payments

A Premier League investigation found Chelsea made around £47m in secret payments to unregistered agents and third parties between 2011 and 2018 to help complete transfers. Players involved included Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto'o, Willian, Ramires, David Luiz, Andre Schurrle and Nemanja Matic. Four of them — Hazard, Willian, Luiz and Matic — were still at Chelsea during the 2016-17 season, when the club won the title seven points ahead of Tottenham, then managed by Mauricio Pochettino.

Chelsea have already been fined by Uefa, the Premier League and the Football Association, but no points deduction has been imposed, unlike the sanctions given to Everton and Nottingham Forest for comparatively smaller profit and sustainability breaches.

Pochettino's argument

Pochettino believes that since Chelsea admitted breaking the rules, the title should belong to the runners-up, Tottenham. He suggests Spurs might also have out-competed rivals for top talent had they been willing to breach regulations in the same way.

Hazard was central to Chelsea's success that season, starting 36 league games, scoring 16 goals and adding five assists, with several of his goals directly deciding match outcomes. Matic and Luiz, both in their second spells at the club, also made meaningful if smaller contributions.

Tottenham finished the season strongly, winning 12 of their last 13 matches to reach 86 points, a club record. However, Antonio Conte's Chelsea were similarly relentless, winning 11 of their final 13 games to secure the title on 93 points.

Supporter representatives acknowledge a retrospective title is unlikely but argue the episode shows rules must apply equally to all clubs. Meanwhile, the outcome of the separate case involving Manchester City's more than 100 alleged financial rule breaches remains undecided.