Mauricio Pochettino has reignited debate over the outcome of the 2016-17 Premier League season, arguing that Tottenham Hotspur, who finished as runners-up under his stewardship, deserve to be recognised as champions instead of Chelsea.
The claim follows revelations that Chelsea's current ownership group, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, self-reported 74 breaches of Football Association regulations after taking control of the club in 2022. The breaches related to undisclosed payments totalling £47m made to unregistered agents and third parties during transfers carried out between 2011 and 2018 — a period that overlaps directly with Chelsea's title-winning campaign under Antonio Conte, when the Blues finished seven points ahead of Pochettino's Spurs.
As punishment, the Premier League fined Chelsea £10.75m in March. An additional six-point deduction was reportedly considered but ultimately set aside following an appeal. A further £750,000 penalty was issued over irregularities in the registration of academy players between 2019 and 2022, which also resulted in a nine-month ban on academy transfers for the club.
Pochettino, who left Tottenham in 2019 having never won a trophy at the club despite reaching the Champions League final that year, was outspoken in his belief that the punishment should extend to stripping Chelsea of the title. "We should win one title, one Premier League. We should have been awarded it," he said. "[Chelsea] were punished, they admitted, so that's it? The title should be for the team that was second."
The Argentine coach, who later had a brief spell in charge of Chelsea during the 2023-24 season, insisted his comments were not driven by bitterness but by a sense of competitive fairness. "It's true that we didn't compete with the same rules. It's completely fair to say that we didn't compete before the start of the season with the same card," he said, suggesting that had financial regulations been followed correctly, Tottenham might have been able to strengthen their squad further. "Maybe with the same rules, if we apply the same things, maybe we could've signed some players that would have made the team better or scored more goals."
Pochettino, now head coach of the United States national team, acknowledged that his stance could prove unpopular among Chelsea supporters but maintained that he would hold the same position regardless of which club was involved. "It's not me complaining - it's the truth. If they admitted they broke the rules, the Premier League title was for the second-best team," he said. "I'm not scared to say the truth. The Chelsea fans will be upset with me because I'm saying this, but if we were at Tottenham and broke the rules I'd admit the same."
Chelsea have stated that they treated the self-reported breaches with the utmost seriousness and cooperated fully with regulators throughout the investigation. A Premier League review into the club's historical accounts found that, even after factoring in the previously undisclosed payments, Chelsea would not have breached profit and sustainability regulations at the time — a key reason why a points deduction was ultimately deemed unnecessary. The £10m component of the fine was reduced by 50% in recognition of the club's proactive disclosure.
Among the transfers connected to the undisclosed payments were those of Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto'o, Willian, Ramires, David Luiz, Andre Schurrle and Nemanja Matic, with the Premier League confirming there was no suggestion of wrongdoing by any of the players involved. Hazard, Willian, Matic and David Luiz were all part of Chelsea's title-winning squad in 2016-17.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport Football.