Chelsea players could earn less than a day's wages if they win the Carabao Cup

Chelsea’s players will share a modest bonus pot of just £500,000 if they win the first trophy of the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital era in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.

The club’s new owners have succeeded in trimming the wage-bill despite lavish spending in the transfer market since buying Chelsea from Roman Abramovich two years ago and have also kept a tight rein on the bonuses on offer.

Chelsea’s potential £500,000 squad bonus is significantly less than the £1.6million shared by Manchester United’s players after they won the Carabao Cup final last year, which netted them around £65,000 each.

The Chelsea bonus scheme entitles every player who has played in this season’s competition a percentage of the pot depending on the number of minutes they have played.

If divided equally amongst Mauricio Pochettino’s 25-man squad the pay-out would be around £20,000, which is less than a day’s wages in most cases.

Chelsea’s FA Cup winning bonus is more generous at £1m, which reflects the greater prize money on offer in that competition.

The FA have increased prize money significantly in recent years and the winners of this season’s competition will receive £4m, whereas the Carabao Cup winners get just £100,000 from the EFL.

In common with most other Premier League clubs Chelsea offer far bigger bonuses tied to performances in the Champions League, both in terms of winning it and qualifying for the competition.