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Drama is aplenty early this Premiership season and barely a week after the Eduardo diving fiasco, a new media outbreak has occurred. Chelsea has been banned for two full transfer periods from signing anyone. I will preface this entire article by initially stating what many of you already know, that I am a Chelsea fan, thus any bias that you see should holy a rather bold asterisk. That being said, I believe many of you will find what I have to say very surprising, considering my allegiance, and very nonpartisan.

Chelsea deserved to be punished. There, I said it. Yes, punishment was necessary, yes, even as a Chelsea fan I believe this to be true, but no, I don't agree with the length of the term. I believe the inflated two transfer period punishment was simply dealt as a precedent and will subsequently be reduced upon appeal. I also believe that the appeal will take at least four or five months and thus expect Chelsea to sign at least two, if not three rather large names this January, even if they are cup-tied.

I believe the punishment was just because at least 50% of youth transfers to big-name teams are done improperly. As I mentioned in my Eduardo argument last week, I believe this is another ruling that needed to happen and just as Eduardo was the scapegoat then, Chelsea is the scapegoat now. With this precedent set there have already been at least three large claims, one against Manchester United, one against Manchester City and one so far unnamed. For a very long time teams like Chelsea, Man United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Real Madrid, and AC Milan (just to name a few) have been feasting off the incredible youth development of smaller, less financially stable teams. While unfortunate for the small guy, that will always be the case. What this ruling means is they will get just compensation for their development.

Despite the embarrassment of riches that these teams have, they refuse to pay small clubs properly for their talent. They still look for bargains and manage to pry away these diamonds in the rough using the allure of big name football while getting paid top dollar. What is wrong about this is that the scouts do all of this behind the contracted club's back, without permission, in an act ever popularized by "The Ashley Cole Incident" as "tapping up". This is how teams like Chelsea get a 17 year old to walk out on his contract and sign with them while paying nothing to the development of a quality prospect. How are small teams like Rennes, Le Havre and Crewe Alexandria supposed to have a chance to compete when all the money and effort they put into creating the next generation of their squad doesn't just get plucked from them, but they receive nothing but a "thanks" for their efforts.

In the coming months, which may actually be a year or two, expect similar bans handed to Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal (whose entire system is built through youth), Liverpool, Real Madrid and at least a few others. Much like the Eduardo ruling, where the whole point of the ban was to finally attempt to put an end to diving or at least give a large incentive not to, expect to see teams finally shelling out cash for prospects, rather than stealing them away. While this may mean your favorite squad's youth system struggles more and fewer prospects make it to the big leagues, at least it means transfers are finally being made correctly. Small teams will deservedly get the finances they have so often been denied by pompous and carefree billionaire squads. Thus, billionaire squads will finally look into their transfers before making them because they can no longer take them away for free.

Football is slowly but surely being remolded into the sport it once was, respectable. While we all still love the game, we must come to terms with the negatives that have been plaguing many aspects of the system for so long and no matter who you support you must be excited at the prospect of the proper game. Say what you will about the situations, hold your grudges if you are an Arsenal fan or a Chelsea follower, taunt your foes if you (rather inexplicably) support Manchester United or Liverpool, but know that eventually, everyone will get their punishment and it couldn't have happened soon enough.