Chelsea have moved to the top of the table, but unfortunately for their supporters it’s the table for the highest salary bill in the Premier League.
Annual figures have revealed that they moved above both Manchester clubs for their wages spent last season, with Companies House publishing the numbers, as reported by Sky Sports.
Having previously lost that position in 2012, the Blues are back in first place after owner Roman Abramovich had a total outlay of £215.6m on wages, up £25m from the year previous.
Meanwhile, Manchester United were at £203m, rivals City had a bill of £193.5m, which in turn meant that both clubs had reduced their overall wages, as Arsenal paid out £192.2m.
Although Chelsea have insisted that they are well within the regulations set by the UEFA financial fair play rules, it is another worrying sign for the club after they reported a net loss of £23.1m last year.
However, through the sales of the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Andre Schurrle and Ryan Betrand, they were able to end with a profit while strengthening their squad with the signings of Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa to successfully lift the Premier League title last season.
The accounts also showed that Abramovich injected £46.7m into the club through its parent company, as Chelsea continue to spend big in their pursuit of more silverware.
With Guus Hiddink in temporary charge ahead of the club’s plan to appoint a long-term coach in the summer, it remains to be seen whether or not their total wages increase with new signings.