Servette have to get Chelsea FC out of the way on their way to the Conference League. A huge chunk. But chaos reigns at the top London club. And the football world is having a laugh about it.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Chelsea FC has once again spent a lot of money on new players this summer. More than 40 players are currently in the London squad.
- While football fans make fun of Chelsea on social media, the club is trying to get rid of several top earners such as Raheem Sterling and Romelu Lukaku.
- A Swiss opponent awaits Chelsea in the Conference League play-offs. Can Servette benefit from the unrest at the Blues?
Servette have been handed a highly attractive but tough draw in the Conference League play-offs with Chelsea FC and are the clear underdogs against the London giants. However, one or two big names will be missing for the clash against Geneva. Kepa Arrizabalaga, Ben Chilwell, Trevoh Chalobah, Raheem Sterling and Romelu Lukaku are not in the Chelsea squad. Not because they are injured - but simply because they are no longer wanted at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues spent a total of 300 million euros on Kepa, Chilwell, Sterling and Lukaku alone. Now these stars are to be sold. Because the Chelsea squad is far too big with more than 40 players. Chelsea now even have a second training group with players who have been sidelined.
"I don't work with 42 players. I work with 21 players. The other 15 to 20 players train separately. I don't see them," explains new coach Enzo Maresca ahead of the qualifying clash with Servette. The coach is also not afraid to banish top stars with mega-contracts to the stands.
"They can even have 20-year contracts, that's not my problem. I don't care," said Maresca. "I told Sterling that he will have a hard time getting minutes with us. I said to Chilwell that he is a nice guy, but in his position he will have a hard time with us. That's not brutal, that's honest."
37 new players since 2022
Maresca, promoted to the Premier League with Leicester last season, succeeded Mauricio Pochettino this summer after he failed to lead the Blues to the Champions League. The new coach has different plans to his predecessor, with Chelsea signing another ten new players this summer. Since Todd Boehly took over as Chelsea's new owner two years ago, the Blues have spent a staggering €1.3 billion on 37 new players.
A glance at the squad list quickly reveals just how bloated the team really is. It includes six goalkeepers, six central defenders and seven center forwards.
Anyone who thinks that the Blues' transfer business is now complete and that they are concentrating on reducing the size of their squad will be proven wrong. After Chelsea unveiled João Félix as their latest acquisition on Wednesday, they are now on the verge of luring Victor Osimhen to London. Napoli are unlikely to let the Nigerian move for less than 100 million euros, but as we all know, money plays a subordinate role at Chelsea.
Total contract term of 191 years
But how can this be reconciled with the Financial Fair Play rules, which stipulate that expenditure may only exceed income to a certain extent? Chelsea use a not uncontroversial trick and simply sign ultra-long contracts with their stars. The amounts can be declared in the accounts in such a way that they are billed per year.
Recently, for example, Cole Palmer signed a new contract until 2033. The contracts of new signings Pedro Neto and João Félix run until 2031. According to Sky, the remaining total contract term for all Chelsea players is 191 years. At Tottenham, the club with the second-highest total contract length in the Premier League, it is just under half as long at 97 years. At Everton, it is 47 years.
Maresca already the fifth coach under Boehly
Chelsea therefore appear to be planning for the long term. However, Todd Boehly is also quick to lose patience - at least when it comes to the coach. Thomas Tuchel had to leave in September 2022 - despite winning the Champions League in 2021, finishing third in the previous season and only five points behind first place. His successor Graham Potter was sacked in the same season. Interim coach Frank Lampard was also unable to recommend himself for further tasks after that and, finally, Pochettino had already served his time after just one year.
With savior Enzo Maresca, the fifth coach since Boehly took over in May 2022, everything should now be better. However, the start of the season went down the drain with a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City. What if Servette now knocks proud Chelsea out of the Conference League play-offs and ensures that the Londoners miss out on international business for the second time in a row? It's hard to imagine.
Well, Chelsea are already the laughing stock of the football world with their 42-man squad ...
