Pochttino Bombshell Strip Chelsea of 2017 Premier League Title, Give It to Spurs!

 

Mauricio Pochettino has delivered a stunning verdict on Chelsea’s 2016–17 Premier League triumph: strip them of the title and hand it to Tottenham.

Pochettino’s Tottenham side finished runners-up that season with a club-record 86 points, just seven behind Antonio Conte’s Chelsea, who lifted the trophy after an extraordinary 30-win campaign and 93 points.

But Chelsea’s title-winning season has been dragged back into the spotlight after the Premier League fined the club £10.75 million for historical breaches involving undisclosed payments and transfer-related reporting between 2011 and 2018.

The cases included deals involving stars such as Eden Hazard, Willian, David Luiz and Nemanja Matić.

For Pochettino, that punishment does not go far enough.

“We should win one Premier League. We should have been awarded it.”

The former Tottenham boss, who later managed Chelsea during the 2023–24 season, insists Spurs were not competing on a level playing field.

“We didn’t compete before the start of the season with the same card.”

Pochettino believes Tottenham could have strengthened their squad had they operated under the same circumstances — potentially changing the outcome of the title race.

“Maybe with the same rules, we could’ve signed some players that would have made the team better or scored more goals.”

He was careful not to diminish Chelsea’s performances under Conte, acknowledging that they were an excellent side.

But his message was blunt: if the rules were broken, there should be consequences for the title.

“If you broke the rules, then ‘ciao’ — you need to give it to another team.”

And Pochettino says he would apply exactly the same standard to Tottenham.

“If we were at Tottenham and broke the rules, I’d admit the same: We don’t deserve the title because we broke the rules.”

Tottenham’s 2016–17 campaign remains their best-ever Premier League finish. Spurs won 26 games, lost just four and amassed 86 points — yet still finished behind Chelsea.

Despite Pochettino’s explosive call, however, Chelsea remain the officially recognised 2016–17 Premier League champions. No retrospective title change or points deduction has been imposed following the Premier League’s findings.

For now, the trophy remains at Stamford Bridge.

But Pochettino has made his position crystal clear: if Chelsea broke the rules, he believes Spurs should have the crown.