ENZO MARESCA will not get a bonus if he wins Chelsea the Conference League tonight.
The Blues boss is looking to cap Champions League qualification by lifting a European trophy in Poland – but it will not earn him any extra cash.
When Maresca agreed to take over at Stamford Bridge last summer, the bonuses included in his five-year deal showed the real ambitions at Chelsea.
The Italian will only be rewarded personally for success in the Premier League and Champions League during his time in west London.
While everyone at Chelsea will have wanted to win the Conference League this season – having started as clear favourites – a top five finish was far more important for the club’s long-term future.
And Maresca has argued that he is ahead of schedule in delivering it, stating the owners wanted to qualify for Europe’s top competition within two years of his arrival from Leicester.
Player bonuses, however, are negotiated on a season-by-season basis and the Blues squad are in for a reward if they triumph over Real Betis in Wroclaw.
The size of the bonus for each player will depend on how many appearances have been made throughout the competition.
So if Cole Palmer – who was not even in the squad for the group stage – starts against Betis he will still earn less than some of those fringe players who did all the hard work early on.
Chelsea would become the first ever club to win all three of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League should they get past Manuel Pellegrini’s men.
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PLAYING FOR KEEPS
CHELSEA are confident they will not have to fight off West Ham for goalkeeping chief Ben Roberts this summer.
Former Blues boss Graham Potter is making his mark in East London and has decided to move goalkeeper coach Xavi Valero on.
Potter has already hired close pal Kyle Macaulay from his role at Stamford Bridge and appointed him as head of recruitment at the London Stadium.
Roberts followed Potter from Brighton to Chelsea as one of his coaching staff but has since been given a role as global head of goalkeeping across both of BlueCo’s clubs.
While West Ham are in the market for a new coach, there is no concern at Chelsea over losing Roberts this summer.
AN GUARD
TODD BOEHLY has personally stamped on the fingers of any team trying to swoop for Andrey Santos in the summer transfer market, with PSG, Arsenal and Crystal Palace all reportedly keen.
The Chelsea midfielder, who spent this season on loan at BlueCo-owned RC Strasbourg, helped the French side secure Conference League football for next year with 10 goals and 3 assists in Ligue 1.
The Stamford Bridge outfit picked up Santos for just £18m two years ago.
Still, with Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez all looking to be starters for Enzo Maresca next season, the Brazilian has been linked with a big-money move away.
Having watched him closely this season, and in person, that would be a big mistake.
London rivals Arsenal and Champions League finalists PSG were two teams circling the midfielder, but Todd Boehly seems to have warned them away as he spoke at the Qatar Economic Forum last week.
He said “We are laser-focused on the Club World Cup. We have some players that are joining us, [like] Andrey Santos. We are really excited about him and what he can add to the squad.”
A personal name-dropping of the midfielder speaks volumes of the value he presents to the Blues, and he should expect to be a part of Enzo Maresca’s plans beyond the summer tournament.
WHEN THERE’S A WILL
LAMINE YAMAL has set the footballing world alight this season.
A left-footed, right-wing Barcelona prodigy who just happened to be bathed by Lionel Messi in a kind of ‘footballing baptism’ and has already helped carry his side to a league title at the age of 17 – it’s easy to see why he’s viewed by many as the heir to Messi’s throne.
Part of what made football so incredibly good for the past 20 years, was that we had an individual rivalry in Ronaldo vs Messi that provided constant debate and discussion as for who was the best in the world.
Many thought that kind of rivalry that might be revived with Erling Haaland vs Kylian Mbappe, but it may actually be Lamine Yamal vs a Chelsea starlet waiting to explode – Estevao Willian.
Both seem to have been crafted by the footballing gods in the mould of Lionel Messi, but idolise and bring all the flair and skill which Neymar did in his time at Barcelona.
Estevao was signed for £28million by Chelsea last summer, with the move set to be finalised this summer ahead of a transition into the Blues’ first team next campaign.
The wonderkid has played predominantly on the right in Brazil, but can also play through the middle and on the left – the kind of versatility Enzo Maresca will adore.
Coincidentally nicknamed ‘Messinho’, he has broken all sorts of records set by Neymar in Brazil, and is more than ready to step up and take some pressure off of the shoulders of Cole Palmer.
Be patient Chelsea fans, your Lamine Yamal awaits…
MARESCA’S YOUNG GUNS
AFTER Chelsea’s lineup vs Nottingham Forest was announced, it was official… The class of 24/25 became the youngest team in Premier League history.
The average age of Enzo Maresca’s starting eleven’s over the course of the season was 24 years and 36 days – beating the previous record of Leeds United by 136 days.
Inexperience has been richly discussed among Blues’ fans since Todd Boehly and his BlueCo consortium took control of the club, with the general consensus being that the team needs some sort of leadership outside of 27-year-old Tosin Adarabioyo, who has been nicknamed the ‘Uncle’ of the dressing room.
It remains to be seen if BlueCo’s risky strategy of buying almost exclusively young talents will pay dividends in terms of trophies and on-pitch success, or if the Blues will splash some cash on an experienced defender and forward in a bid to bring a Premier League title back to Stamford Bridge – but if they don’t it may be a long wait until they see it.
FIGHT OR FLIGHT
MORE THAN 100 fans were set to board the 07:40am flight from Luton to Poznan this morning in the hope of arriving in Poland and exploring Wroclaw before Chelsea play the Conference League Final tomorrow.
However, the WizzAir flight has left fans stranded in Luton with the flight has been delayed until 4pm UK time.
A six-hour delay means that passengers will now arrive in Poznan around 7pm, before still needing to travel to Wroclaw where the final takes place – another 113 miles away.
For fans who would’ve arrived at Luton airport around 5am, they now face a nightmare day of travel which could be as long as 17 hours.
Not to mention fans will also face expenses such as missed trains, taxis, buses, late check-in fees, and paying ridiculous prices for airport meals with such a lengthy delay.
It comes on the back of our story that hotels in Wroclaw have been finding crafty ways to suddenly and inexplicably increase their room rates for Chelsea fans who booked months ago in anticipation of their team reaching the final.
CUP FOR IT
ENZO MARESCA will finally discover this weekend who he faces in the opening game of the new and expanded Club World Cup this summer.
Club America play off against Los Angeles for the right to face Chelsea on June 16 in the first Group D fixture.
The two teams have a chance to join the cream of Europe and South America after Club Leon were banned over multi-club ownership rules.
They are stablemates with CF Pachuca and teams in the same groups cannot compete in the same tournament.
The game takes place this Saturday – the same day as the Champions League Final – but Blues supporters can watch both with the CWC play off not starting until 7.30pm and that’s in California which is 3.30AM the following morning in London.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
