Adrian Mutu: The Fair Solution Never Thought Of

Adrian Mutu joined Chelsea from Parma for around £16 million in the summer of 2003 and struggled for form in his first season at Stamford Bridge, however it was during his second season at the club when things went downhill. Just over a year after signing for Chelsea he tested positive for cocaine and was subsequently suspended for 7 months and the FA fined him £20,000. Chelsea sacked him and this made him a free agent once his ban was served and it was once his ban ended that things got even worse for Mutu as Chelsea began seeking compensation. I must point out that I am in favour of Chelsea receiving compensation over this, however I firmly disagree with the amount that he is being forced to pay. The courts have ruled that due to a breach in contract he owes Chelsea around £18 million and I feel that this is unfair. I agree Mutu is in the wrong, but I believe that he should owe Chelsea the wages that he was paid during his time at the club and any bonuses he received as part of his contract and any money he received from his transfer from Parma. The amount suggested covers so many other factors that were out of his control. The Blues want compensation because of the money they spent signing him and then money they spent replacing him after they sacked him. This seems harsh on Mutu if you ask me. However it has recently emerged that Juventus and Livorno will have to help Mutu pay the compensation to Chelsea. Juventus who tried to sign him on a free transfer following his suspension had finished were unable to sign him due to the non-EU rules in Serie A and therefore Mutu moved to Livorno only to be later sold to Juventus. I really don't understand why Livorno and Juventus need to pay Chelsea when it was Chelsea who sacked Mutu. Maybe if they had not sacked Mutu then they would not have needed to replace him. Maybe instead what Chelsea should have done was help Mutu with his problem and then maybe they could have had him playing for them again the next season. The only money Mutu should be paying Chelsea is his wage that he earned before his sacking, bonuses he was paid as part of his contract and any money he received that was part of his transfer from Parma. As for Juventus and Livorno, they signed a player who was a free agent because of Chelsea's decision to sack Mutu, a mystery as to why they need to give Chelsea anything. As far as Chelsea go, they agreed on the price for Mutu they then sacked him after his failed drugs test. They only have themselves to blame for those two points and Mutu should not be punished for Chelsea's stupidity. However his own stupidity means he should be punished but only on the financial aspects that were in his control.