Enzo Maresca can be backed by Chelsea, no matter whether or not the crew finishes within the prime 5 spots and achieves Champions League qualification or not.
Chelsea go to Nottingham Forest on Sunday for a final-day decider, dwell on Sky Sports activities, realizing victory will assure a spot in Europe’s prime membership competitors subsequent time period. The Blues then have a UEFA Convention League last with Actual Betis on Could 28.
The league end can be extra pivotal to Chelsea’s fast future, with giant sums of cash on the desk for sides which qualify for the Champions League. However it’s understood the membership’s hierarchy imagine Maresca is on monitor along with his mission, no matter Sunday’s end result.
“Chelsea really need to qualify for the Champions League,” mentioned Sky Sports activities Information chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol. “But I don’t think it will really affect the future of Maresca.
“The senior executives at Chelsea really feel he’s constructing one thing, that he isn’t 1,000,000 miles away from attaining the targets set for him and in the event that they follow him Chelsea will be difficult for main honours subsequent season.
“I’d expect him to stay at Chelsea. Maresca is safe.”
Chelsea made a quick begin to this season and have been simply 4 factors off leaders Liverpool on Christmas Day, having performed a recreation extra. However a drop-off in type – impacted by objective droughts for Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer – noticed Chelsea hunch. They’re now 17 factors behind Arne Slot’s champions and in a five-team battle for the three last Champions League spots.
How Champions League qualification will affect switch plans
Cheslea are on track to financial institution a £200m windfall however they haven’t any plans to signal famous person gamers reminiscent of Actual Madrid winger Rodrygo.
The 24-year-old Brazilian has been linked with a €100m transfer to Chelsea within the Spanish media however he’s not presently a goal.
Rodrygo is considered as an distinctive participant however the whole price of any potential deal, together with wages, is prohibitive and a transfer wouldn’t slot in with Chelsea’s technique in current switch home windows.
Chelsea’s mannequin, which is similar to Paris Saint-Germain’s, is to construct a squad of younger world-class gamers who will develop collectively and problem for main trophies subsequent season.
PSG have reached the Champions League last with a younger, thrilling crew after altering technique and ditching their mannequin of signing famous person gamers reminiscent of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Chelsea will make a minimum of £100m in the event that they qualify for the Champions League and they’re going to financial institution about £100m in the event that they attain the ultimate levels of the Membership World Cup.
Chelsea expect to be busy within the switch market this summer season though quite a bit will rely on whether or not they qualify for the Champions League. They’ve a vital last Premier League recreation of the season away at Nottingham Forest on Sunday, dwell on Sky Sports activities.
Many elite gamers who will transfer this summer season are ready to see who can be enjoying in European soccer’s elite competitors subsequent season earlier than finalising any transfers.
Chelsea are planning on signing a striker, a centre-back and a left-sided vast participant. Targets embrace gamers reminiscent of Liam Delap, Benjamin Sesko, Viktor Gyokeres, Alejandro Garnacho, Nico Williams, Jorrel Hato, Marc Guehi and Jarrad Branthwaite.
Gamers may also go away Chelsea this summer season however Enzo Fernandez is settled and never on the market regardless of reviews in Argentina linking him with Actual Madrid once more.
The World Cup winner is a considered as key participant who’s again to his greatest and a part of the core of the crew together with gamers reminiscent of Moises Caicedo and Cole Palmer.
Fernandez is contracted to Chelsea till 2032. He moved to Stamford Bridge in a deal value £106.8m from Benfica in January 2023.
Maresca: Fernandez is staying at Chelsea
Maresca himself has dismissed reviews that Fernandez might be a part of Actual Madrid this summer season, saying: “He’s a main player for us. He’s one of the captains, the leaders and he’s been very good. He can be even better next season, starting from the first day.
“Nothing to say about hypothesis. He is centered on us and that is an important factor.”
When asked outright if Fernandez is staying, Maresca said: “Sure.”
Turning attentions to this weekend’s huge game against Nottingham Forest, Maresca says that they will not be keeping tabs on other games – if Chelsea can do their job at the City Ground.
“It in all probability additionally exhibits how tough the Premier League is with so many groups concerned [in the race for the Champions League]. The one which were constant has been Liverpool and that is why they received [the Premier League].
“The rest, during the season, had up and down moments. This is the reason why we are there. But we are happy to be there and finish in the best way.
“We’re fortunate as a result of if we win, we do our job, we do not want to concentrate to the opposite outcomes. If we’re not successful, we in all probability want to concentrate. We’ve the privilege that will depend on us.
“When you join Chelsea, you feel the pressure from day one. You don’t need to play this kind of game to feel more or less pressure.
“I really feel the stress since I joined as a result of it is a membership the place it’s worthwhile to win video games. We received many video games this season, however we’d like another – an important one.
“The next focus is on Sunday’s game. It’s the next one, the most important one and then after, we can be focus on Wednesday’s game [the Conference League final against Real Betis].”
From subsequent season, Sky Sports activities’ Premier League protection will improve from 128 matches to a minimum of 215 video games completely dwell.
And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League video games subsequent season are on Sky Sports activities.