Chelsea have been hit with a Premier League record fine of £10.75m and a suspended transfer ban for breaching spending rules between 2013 and 2017. The club secretly paid for stars like Eden Hazard, Willian, and N'Golo Kante through third parties while winning six trophies including two Premier League titles. The misconduct involved hidden payments that weren't properly recorded in official accounts.

Most of the 11 players named had successful careers at Stamford Bridge. Hazard scored 110 goals in 352 games and won PFA Young Player of the Year in 2013-14. Willian made 339 appearances while David Luiz featured 248 times across two spells. However, Schurrle struggled to find form in 65 games and Eto'o scored just 12 goals in 35 matches before leaving after one season.

The Premier League initially proposed a £20m fine and two-window transfer ban, but Chelsea's self-reporting and cooperation halved the penalty. The suspended ban will activate if they commit similar breaches within two years. Crucially, the secret payments didn't violate profit and sustainability rules since they stayed under the £105m three-season limit, avoiding a potential points deduction.