Latest news with #post-Abramovich
Daily Mirror
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Enzo Maresca makes Chelsea priority crystal clear before Conference League final
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca wants a return to the Champions League confirmed before Real Betis clash against former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini Enzo Maresca has claimed Chelsea have three 'Premier League finals' before facing his 'professional dad' Manuel Pellegrini in the UEFA Conference final. The Blues will bid to end an inconsistent season on a high by beating Real Betis and winning the first silverware of the post-Abramovich era on May 28 But first the Italian head coach has challenged the 2021 Champions League winners to seal a return to Europe's top club competition by winning their last three league matches - starting with Sunday's trip to Newcastle. 'We have 20 days to prepare for the final,' said the Italian. 'Before that we have three more Premier League finals and hopefully we can finish in the right way. 'Newcastle is a big one, it's a huge one. Then Manchester United will be a big one, Nottingham Forrest will be a big one. All of them are going to be big games. For sure, Sunday is a chance to start in the right way. 'The players need to be focused on the Newcastle game because it's the next one and for us, it has to be like thinking that it's the last game of the season, give everything and then we'll see at the end.' Chelsea and Newcastle are locked together on 63 points and a goal difference of plus 21. And they each have one victory against each other this season with Alexander Isak scoring in both games - the West London club's 2-1 home Premier League win and Newcastle's Carabao Cup victory at St James' Park. 'I think Isak is a top player but stopping him is not enough,' added Maresca. 'There are more players so we need to work as a team and we need to stop them as a team.' Chelsea racked up a fifth consecutive win in all competitions by beating Swedish side Djurgarden in the Conference League semi-finals on Thursday night in a team seeing 10 changes - and have to go again at midday on Sunday. 'It's not the ideal situation,' admitted Maresca. 'It's first thing in the morning, but we need to play the game and hopefully we can continue our good moment.' Real Betis will be playing their first ever European final but Pellegrini - and Manchester United loanee Antony - are familiar faces. Maresca played for the former Manchester City boss for two years at Malaga and then was assistant to him at West Ham. 'He is one of my professional dads,' said the Blues boss. 'He's honest, he's a good person, he always tries to be honest with the player. And I try, personally, I try to learn a lot about his way." Maresca also knows about the heat of football passion in southern Spain after playing for Real Betis' local rivals. "I played four years for Sevilla, that is a big derby against Betis," he said. "We also won the derby 1-0, and I scored a goal. I know that they don't like me, they don't love me. "I met my wife in Seville, she's from Seville. My first son born in Seville. I played for Seville, but no doubt that I want to win the final." The Chelsea Supporters Trust has called for an investigation into 'the most serious breach of stadium security in recent memory' after Djurgarden fans had tickets for home sections for the semi-final at Stamford Bridge.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Report: Chelsea Face £5m Dilemma Over Jadon Sancho Loan Deal
Chelsea's loan deal for Jadon Sancho always had an intriguing clause, and now it's becoming pivotal. As revealed by The Athletic, 'Chelsea will have to pay Manchester United £5million ($6.4m) if they do not complete the signing of winger Jadon Sancho permanently.' It's a clause designed with leverage in mind — a hedge by United, a calculated risk by Chelsea. Sancho's return to Premier League football with Chelsea began brightly. Assisting in each of his first three league games, the 24-year-old seemed to rediscover the creative spark that once made him one of Europe's most coveted attackers. But 20 games later, the spark has flickered. Just two goals and one assist since that initial burst have cast doubt over whether Chelsea will trigger the £25 million obligation to buy. Head coach Enzo Maresca has remained publicly positive about Sancho's contribution. 'For me he's doing very well,' Maresca told The Athletic. 'I expected him to do well, but for all the players doing well for a long period is not easy, and he has been doing well for a long period already. He's doing well, now he just needs to continue going in that way.' Maresca's familiarity with Sancho from their Manchester City days lends weight to his assessment. But this praise is nuanced. Sancho has shown flashes — composure on the ball, subtle movement, an eye for the final pass — but consistency remains elusive. The question Chelsea must ask: is a player who delivers in moments rather than matches worth a long-term commitment? One factor tilting the balance is Mykhailo Mudryk. As The Athletic notes, 'the club's intention to sign a new winger in the upcoming market relates more to uncertainly over Mykhailo Mudryk's availability.' Injuries and inconsistency have dogged the Ukrainian, and Chelsea's wing options feel stretched thin. This could inadvertently favour Sancho. In a market where top-tier wide players fetch astronomical fees, £25 million for a 24-year-old England international may still be shrewd business. Particularly for a player who, under the right guidance and in a settled role, could thrive in Maresca's system. Sancho's case is a test of Chelsea's new model under sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart. Do they bet on his ceiling, or cut the cord and swallow a £5 million penalty for not following through? That kind of strategic indecision comes at a cost — not just financially but in shaping squad cohesion. Chelsea are fourth in the Premier League, just a point ahead of Man City, and their ambitions demand ruthless clarity. With Spurs visiting Stamford Bridge on April 3rd, Sancho may get another stage to prove he belongs in this long-term project. From a Chelsea fan's perspective, this Sancho saga is typical of the club's post-Abramovich era — tantalising glimpses of ambition, but often lacking decisive follow-through. The £5 million clause feels like a mild tax on poor planning. Either trust Sancho or don't — but leaving him in limbo helps no one. Many fans appreciate the technical qualities he brings, especially when compared to the rawness of Mudryk or inconsistency from Raheem Sterling. That said, two goals in 20 games is a statistic hard to ignore at this level. Chelsea need more than 'almost' players if they want to bridge the gap to title contenders. If the club is serious about backing Maresca, then giving him players he trusts — like Sancho — makes sense. But they must also ask whether that trust is rooted in sentiment or performance. Letting him go and signing a more dynamic winger might represent progress, but also another layer of upheaval. There's a desire for stability among the fanbase now. If Sancho is part of that vision, show it with confidence — not clauses.
