Chelsea have been handed the Premier League’s biggest-ever financial penalty after admitting to making £47 million in undisclosed transfer payments to unregistered agents and third parties between 2011 and 2018.

The club has been fined £10 million and given a suspended two-year transfer ban. Additionally, Chelsea received an immediate nine-month academy transfer ban and a £750,000 fine related to breaches in the registration of academy players between 2019 and 2022.

Following Todd Boehly’s consortium takeover in 2022, Chelsea self-reported these potential violations, bringing closure to one of the Premier League’s significant ongoing investigations. However, another high-profile case still unresolved involves Manchester City, who face 115 charges that have been pending for more than three years.

Manchester City were first charged in February 2023 with 115 alleged rule breaches covering the period between 2009 and 2018. A hearing began in September 2024, lasting ten weeks, but a verdict is yet to be announced.

The club has denied all allegations, which broadly accuse City of violating profit and sustainability regulations by disguising owner-funded payments as sponsorship deals, along with allegedly providing players and managers with undeclared salaries or bonuses.

It has now been 15 months since the last update on the case, raising questions about whether Chelsea’s punishment could offer any insight into the potential consequences Manchester City might face if found guilty.

From a broader viewpoint, City might hope that Chelsea’s penalty — a large fine and a suspended transfer ban — signals that the Premier League may be hesitant to impose a points deduction, something City would keenly wish to avoid.

Such an outcome would likely rule out the possibility of relegation from the Premier League. However, in reality, these two legal matters are vastly different, making it difficult to draw direct comparisons from Chelsea’s punishment.

One mitigating element in Chelsea’s case was that the club voluntarily disclosed the breaches and fully cooperated with the authorities, which likely played a role in determining their final penalty.

The Premier League also clarified that Chelsea would not have breached profit and sustainability regulations during the relevant seasons even if the payments had been properly declared, meaning a points deduction was deemed inappropriate.

In Manchester City’s case, very little is known about the detailed procedure of the 2024 hearing. Premier League regulations require that no updates be provided until a final decision is reached, a rule both parties are observing.

It also remains unclear what will happen once the hearing panel delivers its verdict—whether they will recommend specific sanctions or simply determine whether the rules were broken. Questions also remain about whether any punishments will be suspended and what form an appeal process might take.

While the Premier League has demonstrated its willingness to enforce financial penalties through the Chelsea ruling, it’s still uncertain what the outcome will be in Manchester City’s lengthy and complex case.