Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has asserted that his former club should be retrospectively awarded the 2017 Premier League title, citing Chelsea's admitted violations of transfer rules. Chelsea secured the title that season, finishing seven points ahead of Tottenham, but have since acknowledged making over £47 million in secret payments to unregistered agents and third parties to facilitate player transfers.
Chelsea received a £10.75 million fine for these breaches, a penalty Pochettino suggests is insufficient given the impact on the competition. The players most associated with these rule violations include David Luiz, Eden Hazard, Willian, Nemanja Matic, Ramires, Andre Schurrle, and Samuel Eto'o. Four of these players – Hazard, Willian, Luiz, and Matic – were instrumental in Chelsea's title-winning campaign, scoring a combined 26 goals.
If these goals were discounted, a theoretical recalculation suggests Chelsea would have ended the season with 79 points. Under this scenario, Tottenham, who accumulated 86 points, would have been crowned champions. Manchester City, who finished third that season, would have moved up to second place with 82 points, ahead of Chelsea's revised total.
This hypothetical analysis highlights specific matches where goals from these players significantly impacted the outcome. For instance, Hazard's opening goal in Chelsea's 2-1 victory over West Ham on the opening weekend would have resulted in a draw, costing Chelsea two points. Similarly, goals from Hazard and Willian in a 3-1 win against Manchester City were credited with securing another two points.
Willian's brace in a 4-2 win over Stoke and Luiz's free-kick against Liverpool were also identified as crucial. The recalculation indicates that without the contributions of these players, Chelsea would have faced several draws instead of wins, leading to a total deduction of 14 points from their final tally. This would have seen their points total drop to 79.
Pochettino, now managing the U.S. men's national team, expressed his strong feelings on the matter. He stated that teams must compete under the same rules to ensure fair play and that any breach of regulations should result in the title being awarded to the next eligible team. He emphasized that his argument is not a detraction from Chelsea's performance or manager Antonio Conte's success, but rather a matter of principle regarding adherence to the rules.
While acknowledging the hypothetical nature of the recalculation and the impossibility of predicting alternative match outcomes, Pochettino maintains that the principle of fair competition was violated. He argued that had Tottenham also operated outside the rules, he would be the first to say they did not deserve the title. His statements underscore a belief that the integrity of the competition was compromised by Chelsea's actions.