MANCHESTER UNITED’S shock FA Cup final win has handed Chelsea an incredibly busy calendar.
The sixth-place Blues dropped into the Europa Conference League as the Red Devils joined Tottenham in the Europa League despite finishing eighth thanks to their Wembley victory.
And that means Chelsea could rack up an incredible 74 games in a mammoth season.
The incredible figure does not even include five pre-season fixtures, with the Blues potentially in action for 331 days.
Chelsea are on a tour of the USA from July 24 to August 6 and return 11 days before the Premier League season, which finishes on May 25 next year.
The Blues’ Conference League campaign kicks off on August 22 and, if they make the final, that takes place three days after the top-flight finale.
And just when the end is in sight, the Club World Cup is slated to kick off on June 15, with the final on July 13.
To make matters worse, many Blues stars will be in action at this summer’s European Championship.
Chelsea are keen to get their business done early this window and their first priority is bringing in a manager.
Mauricio Pochettino waved goodbye despite winning his final five games and reaching the Carabao Cup final.
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SunSport exclusively revealed that Chelsea have held talks with Leicester boss Enzo Maresca.
Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna and Brentford’s Thomas Frank are also in the frame.
Blues chiefs are keen to have the new man through the door by the end of next week so they can focus on players.
Having a deep squad will be even more important next season due to the return of European football to Stamford Bridge and a jam-packed calendar.
Chelsea are ready to launch a £20million bid for Burnley keeper James Trafford as they seek a long-term answer in goal.
HERE we go again.
Just when some positivity was building around the place and an optimistic eye was being cast to the future, Clearlake Capital go hurtling full pelt back to the drawing board, write SunSport’s Tom Sheen.
Mauricio Pochettino leaving will make it six different managers in less than two years when next season rolls around, a record that would make Roman Abramovich blush.
But while the oligarch was keeping Chelsea’s HR department busy by regularly handing out P45s, he was also regularly delivering world class players in the hope of delivering instant silverware.
There was no ‘Vision 2030’, talk of players as financial assets or ridiculous eight-year contracts that potentially hamstring the club.
Hiring and firing worked under the previous regime because Chelsea had a spine of world class talent that they were always looking to improve upon – not a group of players who look light years away from the top teams in the land.
One thing is for sure, though. If Clearlake carry on down this road they’ll need a rebrand to Vision 2060.
Click here to read Tom’s damning verdict in full…
MAURICIO POCHETTINO had just started to turn Chelsea around.
An impressive run of end-of-season form saw the Blues leapfrog the likes of Manchester United and Newcastle to finish sixth in the Premier League – and earn a Europa League spot.
But it wasn’t enough to keep him in a job as it was announced on Tuesday evening that the Argentine had left.
Here are all Pochettino’s Stamford Bridge stats:
Premier League – 6th
FA Cup – Semi-finals (lost to Man City)
Carabao Cup – Runners-up (Lost to Liverpool)
Total record:
Games 51
Wins 26
Draws 11
Defeats 14
Goals for 103
Goals against 74
