Chelsea has signed Argentine goalkeeper Enzo Martinez from Aston Villa for £7.5 million. According to BBC, this is the eighth deal completed between the two clubs in the last four years.

No two Premier League clubs have exchanged players as frequently as Chelsea and Villa through permanent transfers or loan deals over the last four years.

The partnership between the two clubs began after Chelsea's owner BlueCo took over the club in 2022. That summer, Chelsea signed Chukwuemeka from Villa for £20 million. Since then, Maatsen has joined Villa for £37.5 million, Kellyman has joined Chelsea for £19 million, and Disasi has joined Villa on loan for £5 million.

This summer alone, the two clubs have completed four more deals. Morgan Rogers completed his move from Villa to Chelsea for £117 million, and Alejandro Garnacho joined Villa on loan with a conditional mandatory purchase clause worth approximately £43 million in total.

Next, Nicolas Jackson moved to Villa for £65 million, followed by Martinez joining Chelsea.

Since 2022, Chelsea has paid Aston Villa £163.5 million in player transfer fees. Villa, in turn, has spent £102.5 million on Chelsea players, including loan fees for Disasi.

If the specific conditions in Garnacho's loan contract are met, making it a permanent transfer, Villa's total spending could rise to £150.5 million. Chelsea believes these conditions are likely to be met.

However, the recent high frequency of transactions between the two clubs has attracted the attention of other Premier League clubs, particularly given that both parties must comply with domestic and European financial regulations.

A source told BBC that some club executives have raised questions about the frequency of deals between the two teams. However, there is currently no indication that either club has violated relevant regulations. BBC has contacted Chelsea and Aston Villa for comment.

Which clubs trade most frequently?

BBC has compiled all permanent transfers and loan deals completed between Premier League clubs since summer 2022, limiting the scope to 15 teams that have continuously competed in the Premier League during this period.

The top position is a tie: Chelsea and Villa have completed 8 deals, and Chelsea and Brighton have also completed 8.

Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest follow closely with 6 deals each, while Arsenal and Chelsea have completed 5 deals with other clubs respectively.

Six of the top 10 club pairings involve Chelsea, reflecting the scale of Chelsea's player trading following BlueCo's acquisition of the club. BlueCo acquired Chelsea for £4.25 billion, ending Roman Abramovich's 19-year ownership of the club and ushering in a period of large-scale squad overhaul.

However, the close relationship between Villa and Chelsea also has more specific reasons.

Relations and Regulations

Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali and Villa owner Nassef Sawiris have developed a close working relationship, communicating directly about transfer business. This relationship has continued across several transfer windows, including Rogers' move to Chelsea this summer.

However, Chelsea did not recruit Rogers without competition, as Arsenal also wanted to sign the player, and ultimately it was the player's decision to join Stamford Bridge.

UEFA has the authority to review transfers completed between two clubs within 45 days. Garnacho initially joined Villa on loan, and this deal occurred just two days after Rogers signed his contract with Chelsea. Jackson's permanent transfer was completed 38 days after Rogers' transfer.

However, the timeline alone does not prove a connection between these transactions.

For example, Villa can argue that their interest in Jackson was longstanding, and the player previously worked with Villa manager Unai Emery at Villarreal.

Chelsea, meanwhile, can state that their interest in Martinez is unrelated to their previous dealings with Villa, and that Chelsea would continue to pursue the transfer regardless of which club the goalkeeper was at.

During this summer's transfer window, Juventus had also previously shown interest in Martinez, but it is understood that a finger injury ultimately caused that deal to fall through.

Why do Premier League clubs buy from each other?

There are broader reasons behind the frequent domestic transfers between Premier League clubs, but finances are often the most important factor.

Premier League clubs generally have greater purchasing power than most teams in other European leagues, which means other English clubs may be among the few buyers capable of meeting the transfer fees and wage demands of the selling club. Therefore, when a club wants to sell a high-value player, a domestic deal is often very attractive.

Recruiting players from within the league also reduces some uncertainty, since the buying club's scouts are usually already familiar with the player's characteristics and performance.

However, even in the Premier League, where domestic player transfers are very common, the high frequency of transactions between Villa and Chelsea still stands out.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

Situs web AF kini hadir! Lihat berita lengkap, komentar, detail pertandingan, dan statistik di komputer Anda. Kunjungi: www.allfootballapp.com