Premier League ‘REFUSE' Chelsea request to move opening fixture with Enzo Maresca's plans in ruin
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
THE Premier League have refused to budge when asked if they could change Chelsea's opening fixture amid concerns around the Blues' Club World Cup workload.
Chelsea have reached the final of Fifa's new-look club tournament in the USA, meaning they will play their final stateside game this Sunday - just 34 days before their opening Prem clash.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
3
Chelsea have been told they are unable to move their opening Premier League clash after reaching the Club World Cup final
Credit: Getty
3
The Blues have reached the final of Fifa's revamped tournament, where they will play PSG on Sunday
Credit: Getty
Chelsea take on Crystal Palace on Sunday August 17 to open their domestic campaign, meaning they have just over a month to allow their players a break and to return for pre-season preparations.
The hectic schedule, in part caused by the extended Club World Cup, has been heavily criticised and Chelsea have asked for the Premier League to lend them a helping hand, according to The Mirror.
It's claimed that the league's chief football officer, Tony Scholes, has insisted that they won't be giving any special treatment to Chelsea or Man City - who also participated in the Club World Cup before their last 16 exit to Al-Hilal last week.
The Premier League chose not to comment when approached by SunSport.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
FLYING SHAME Jet 'carrying Guehi to Newcastle' is actually delivering new Sunderland star
WATCH EVERY MATCH OF THE CLUB WORLD CUP 2025 LIVE ON DAZN
However, SunSport understands that the league feel that the issues of fixture congestion are an example of the challenges faced by domestic leagues as a result of Fifa expanding their calendar.
There's growing feeling that the issues are being thrown on domestic leagues when there has been no change to the number of fixtures played in the league season.
While domestic cup competitions, such as the FA Cup, have even seen a reduced number of games in recent campaigns following the decision to scrap replays.
It has been confirmed that Chelsea's opening fixture against Palace will remain on August 17.
3
CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
Spanish giants Real Madrid, who exited the Club World Cup to PSG in the semi-finals, have also requested to have their opening La Liga fixture moved.
Los Blancos are due to play Osasuna on August 19 and The Athletic claim club officials sent letters to La Liga to request a postponement.
However, reports have since suggested that La Liga have rejected those requests and the fixture is scheduled to go ahead as planned.
Managers at the Club World Cup have been vocal with their concern for what impact the congested fixture list may have on their teams next season.
City boss Pep Guardiola said: "I try not to think about it, otherwise I will be so anxious.
"Maybe in November, December, January, ask me, Pep. I may say: 'So listen, we are a disaster. We are exhausted. The World Cup destroyed us.' We will see.'
Chelsea are in line to earn a whopping £97MILLION in prize money should they win Sunday's final against PSG.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
7 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Chelsea agree £20m deal to sell forgotten striker Armando Broja to Premier League new boys
ARM AND A LEG Chelsea agree £20m deal to sell forgotten striker Armando Broja to Premier League new boys Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CHELSEA are set to cash in on striker Armando Broja by selling him to Burnley. The Blues are said to have reached an agreement with the newly-promoted Clarets on a fee of up to £20million. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Armando Broja is set to sign for Burnley Credit: Getty The deal would give Chelsea another big boost as they attempt to balance the books after a busy summer of recruitment. And Broja, 23, would have the chance to revive a career stalled by injury and unsuccessful loan spells. The Albania international is a product of the Chelsea academy, so any transfer fee would be pure profit for the purposes of financial rules. The same applied to homegrown Blues defender Bashir Humphreys, who joined Burnley for an initial £12m earlier this summer after spending last season on loan with the Clarets. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL SIM CARD Xavi Simons misses RB Leipzig training as Chelsea enter advanced transfer talks Broja is thought to be open to a move to Turf Moor as he seeks a new start. The centre forward was born in England to Albanian parents and joined the Chelsea academy at under-eight level. Broja was a star of the Blues' youth team, winning a treble of under-18 Premier League, Premier League Cup and FA Youth Cup in 2017/18. After making his first-team debut in March 2020, the frontman spent a season on loan at partner club Vitesse Arnhem in Holland. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS 2 Broja became the first Albanian to score in the Premier League during his year at Southampton in 2021/22. But he suffered a serious knee injury in a friendly against Aston Villa during the break for the 2022 winter World Cup in Qatar. How Nicolas Jackson could make £80m Newcastle switch | Transfers Exposed Broja slipped down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge as the new owners went on a spending spree. His last Premier League goal came in October 2023 against Fulham. He joined the Cottagers on loan for the second half of the 2023/24 season, but did not start a league game. Broja went to Everton on another temporary deal last season but managed only 11 first-team appearances, and no goals, in a campaign wrecked by Achilles and ankle problems.
Scottish Sun
7 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Man Utd given hope in Benjamin Sesko transfer race as RB Leipzig boss provides update after Newcastle's £70m bid
Chief behind United's interest has been revealed ALL SYSTEMS KO Man Utd given hope in Benjamin Sesko transfer race as RB Leipzig boss provides update after Newcastle's £70m bid Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MANCHESTER UNITED are not out of the race for Benjamin Sesko despite Newcastle's £70million bid. The Toon wasted no time in their pursuit of the striker as they immediately met RB Leipzig's asking price. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Benjamin Sesko is wanted by both Man Utd and Newcastle Credit: Getty 5 Newcastle bid £70m for the striker earlier today Credit: Getty 5 But another round of talks give Man Utd hope Credit: Getty Newcastle offered the Bundesliga side an initial £65.5m with £4.3m coming in potential add-ons. But reports by Sky Germany claim the deal is not done yet. More negotiations are scheduled for tonight with both clubs and Man Utd are "ready to make their move". Sesko, 22, has a gentleman's agreement with RB Leipzig that he can leave if they receive a good enough offer. READ MORE ON MAN UTD FERM BID Man Utd 'ready to launch £61million transfer bid for Barca star Fermin Lopez ' And with talks ongoing, Sesko was left out of their pre-season friendly against Atalanta today. RB Leipzig chief Marcel Schafer was asked about the player's future and he said: "We won't go into detail on that, but when I say that several clubs have shown strong interest and have made approaches, it's obvious what has happened.' Sesko is said to be weighing up a move to either Newcastle or Man Utd after talks with his representatives. Interest from St James' Park comes amid star striker Alexander Isak looking to force an exit to Liverpool. SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN 5 The Swede is currently training alone at his former club Real Sociedad after not joining his team-mates on the club's pre-season tour. Isak has his heart set on a switch to Liverpool despite them already splashing £79m on Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike this summer. Man United quartet exiled as Amorim reshapes squad! The Premier League champions had a £110m bid for Isak turned down by Newcastle yesterday. They are demanding a staggering £150m for their main man. Meanwhile, Man Utd's Sesko interest is being driven by director of recruitment Christopher Vivell, who previously worked at RB Leipzig. The club are desperate to sign a striker after Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee managed just seven league goals between them last season. Sesko was on fire in the Bundesliga, finding the back of the net 13 times in 33 games last term. Arsenal were interested in the Slovenian but are now out the running after snapping up Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon for £63.5m. 5 TRANSFER NEWS LIVE - KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST FROM A BUSY SUMMER WINDOW
Daily Mail
7 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Leeds 1-1 Villarreal: FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED as Karl Darlow impresses and Daniel Farke shows tactical pragmatism against top opposition
Leeds United were held to a 1-1 draw by Villarreal Elland Road in their penultimate pre-season friendly on Saturday. Joel Piroe grabbed a well-taken equaliser in the second half after the visitors had gone ahead through Etta Eyong. A lively crowd of 35,273 turned out to watch Daniel Farke 's side take on last season's fifth-placed team in La Liga. There were encouraging signs from some of the new arrivals, particularly in midfield, but questions remain elsewhere. Concerns over the striker situation persist, while Jack Harrison's continued absence only adds to the uncertainty. AADAM PATEL was at Elland Road for Mail Sport and has noted down five things we learned from Saturday's friendly. Flexible Farke shows tactical pragmatism Daniel Farke has spoken about flexibility when it comes to formations during pre-season. The early signs are that when Leeds come up against weaker opposition, they will set up in a 4-2-3-1 as they did during most of their Championship games when they enjoyed more of the ball. But here against Villarreal, who finished fifth in La Liga last season, they set up in a 4-3-3 base formation. Leeds did the same against Man Utd in their friendly against Stockholm and in Ethan Ampadu, Anton Stach and Sean Longstaff, they began with a solid midfield three against Villarreal. In particular, the two new signings showed their quality and more than held their own against the Spanish side while Ilia Gruev and Ao Tanaka, who came off the bench, showed why they will have important roles to play this season. Harrison saga drags on Going into this friendly, one of the biggest questions was how the Leeds fans would react to the return of Jack Harrison at Elland Road. That question was put to bed when Harrison wasn't named in the squad. He was booed by his own fans in Stockholm. Harrison twice decided in recent years that he didn't want to be at Leeds and still has Everton — where he was on loan for the last two seasons — in his Instagram bio. The situation remains complicated and with a fortnight to go before the season starts, it is hardly ideal for Leeds to have one of their highest earners in a state of limbo. The failed pursuit of Igor Paixao has only added to the tensions and though Wilfried Gnonto has impressed in pre-season, he is a much better player down the right. Striker search grows more urgent With each passing day, the need for a top-quality striker becomes clearer. Lukas Nmecha had two good opportunities in the first half but failed to take them and though Joel Piroe showed good instincts to equalise for Leeds, he is unproven at the top level. With Patrick Bamford and Mateo Joseph out of favour, Leeds simply cannot afford to start the season with just Nmecha, Piroe and Harry Gray as their centre forward options. They went in with a bid of £26million for Rodrigo Muniz in June that was rejected by Fulham, who value the Brazilian at around £40m. Muniz is keen to start more games, especially in a World Cup year. Mail Sport understands that Leeds are keeping their options open and have a back up list but in a congested market where top strikers are hard to come by, they need to make a decision imminently. Darlow impresses but keeper exit looms It was hardly ideal that Leeds' new keeper Lucas Perri was ruled out with a niggle but Karl Darlow made two great saves in the first-half to show why he will be an able deputy. Darlow was replaced by Illan Meslier at half-time, who made a good save but could do nothing to keep out Etta Eyong on the rebound. With Alex Cairns as the fourth keeper on the books, one keeper is surely on his way out and that looks set to be Meslier but Leeds are yet to receive an offer for the Frenchman. The other two are classed as homegrown players and certainly more used to the role as a back-up. As for Meslier, who is 25, it would be an almighty surprise if he plays again at Elland Road this season. Perri is expected to make his debut next Saturday when Leeds take on AC Milan in their last pre-season friendly in Dublin. Schmidt struggles in defensive audition With Jayden Bogle absent, Isaac Schmidt was given the opportunity at right back but this was a performance that highlighted how important Bogle will be for Leeds in the Premier League. Schmidt struggled against Yeremy Pino, who has played 15 times for Spain and though he did get into some dangerous positions going forward, the 25-year-old lacked the threat that Bogle possesses. Defensively, he was too easy to get past and Villarreal's goal came from his side. Schmidt looks set to join Werder Bremen on loan and this was a timely reminder that Leeds could do with another second-choice full back alongside Sam Byram. In Bogle and Gabriel Gudmundsson, they have solid starting options but Farke will be aware that any kind of injury or suspension will leave them exposed down the flanks.
