Chelsea

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

This season all came down to what Enzo Maresca and the players called two cup finals.

Chelsea beat Nottingham Forest on Sunday to clinch Champions League football, then backed it up by beating Real Betis in the Conference League final, to earn their first piece of silverware under the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital ownership.

The manager and the squad, which is the youngest in Premier League history, can now say they are winners, while the owners have proof the club is moving in the right direction.

Those two landmark achievements ease pressure and doubts that were coming "from the outside", as Maresca put it in a sweary rant on Sunday.

The Italian had already been given a five-year contract and was safe regardless of the outcome of those two games, as Chelsea plan to review his position next summer.

But he struggled to connect with supporters because of his ponderous style of play, while there are broader concerns about the rebuild of the club from the Roman Abramovich era.

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Chelsea have been branded chaotic in the past for having four managers in three seasons. They finished 12th and then sixth under this US ownership, who gutted the backroom staff and then hired their own people. Of course, they also spent £1.7bn on the transfers of young players, albeit with significant sales to balance the books.

"From the outside", Chelsea looked unstable. But a critical mass of talent in the young squad averaging about 23.5 years of age is starting to click, aided by star players like Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.

Fans, players and staff all had their own parties after victory in the Conference League - Chelsea becoming the first club to win every European trophy.

However, within a week, talk will be about how the Blues build on it and back this up. They have a Club World Cup to come from mid-June and then return to the Champions League next season.

If they do, they will look back on this title as the start of something. If they do not, anger will again bubble up to the surface and doubts will start to penetrate "from the outside" again.

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We asked for your views on Will Faulks end-of-season scorecard (27 May, 12:43 BST).

Here are some of your comments:

Michael: 6/10 is harsh. This is the youngest squad in the Premier League. With young teams, there will be bumps in the road. Totally agree on Levi Colvill, plus the return of Trevoh Chalobah helped IMO. I am no fan of Enzo Maresca but he deserves a pre-season and a good transfer window in June. However, he will need to be supported by the owners.

Peter: Maresca's football is so tedious. After all, this is supposed to be entertainment! Viktor Gyokeres would be the best player for us - he is a great goalscorer, very good technically and will suit our style.

Tony: I think we got a better end to the season than our overall performances have deserved. It remains to be seen whether they can kick on from here, because more of the same won't do it, especially in the Champions League! Hope I'm proved wrong!

David: Season rating 7/10. Unsung hero, believe it or not, Robert Sanchez. Throughout the season, he made some very important saves in key moments and with a settled central-defensive pair, he will become a top keeper. Best partnership was Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke. Manager rating 4/10 - when you're second in the league, big it up no matter what, especially with such a young team. Let them ride the crest of the wave as who knows where that will go.

Philip: How can you give 6/10 for a season where we are back in the top four? Maresca has presided over the third-best home record and deserves more credit for his achievements.

Chelsea have joined Juventus in making a formal enquiry to Sporting over the availability of 26-year-old Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres, who is also wanted by Arsenal. (Record - in Portuguese), external

The Blues have been impressed by Jadon Sancho's recent performances and could trigger their £25m obligation to buy clause with Manchester United to sign the 25-year-old England winger on a permanent deal. (i Sport), external

Ipswich Town have offered Chelsea's 19-year-old Spanish forward Marc Guiu a loan deal in the Championship next season. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Chelsea look to have found their new striker.

The club have triggered Ipswich forward Liam Delap's £30m release clause, with talks ongoing over personal terms.

But are you happy Chelsea fans?

Would you have preferred somebody else?

Send us your thoughts here

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Four Chelsea players have been named in the UEFA Conference League Team of the Tournament, chosen by the UEFA Technical Observer Group.

The Blues won the trophy after defeating Real Betis 4-1 in the final on Wednesday evening.

Filip Jorgensen, Tosin Adarabioyo, Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer all made the team, despite Palmer not being named in the Blues squad for the league phase.

Real Betis midfielder Isco was named Player of the Tournament.

The full team is as follows:

Goalkeeper: Filip Jorgensen (Chelsea)

Defenders: Youssouf Sabaly (Real Betis), Tosin Adarabioyo (Chelsea), Natan (Real Betis), Robin Gosens (Fiorentina)

Midfielders: Svit Seslar (Celje), Isco (Real Betis), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea)

Forwards: Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Afimico Pululu (Jagiellonia), Tokmac Nguen (Djurgarden)

Image source, Getty Images

The BBC's Ask Me Anything team have done all of the research ahead of the announcement detailing next season's Premier League matches.

The fixtures for the 2025-26 season will be released at 09:00 BST on Wednesday, 18 June 2025 and the release will include the weekly schedule of all 380 matches.

The season will begin with a single fixture played on Friday, 15 August 2025 and conclude on Sunday, 24 May 2026, when all matches will be played at 16:00 BST. There will be 33 weekend rounds of fixtures, plus five midweek rounds.

The exact date and time at which individual matches are played during each weekend will be determined at regular intervals throughout the season, based on TV selections made by broadcasters.

Read the full article here

After Chelsea won the Conference League on Wednesday, we asked for your celebration stories and what the trophy means for Enzo Maresca's side.

Here is a snapshot of your submissions:

Terry (picture above): Just arrived back from Wroclaw after a brilliant trip. What a second half performance from the team! The atmosphere heading to and in the stadium was fantastic. Credit to the Real Betis fans and to the Polish hosts. We heard there was some trouble between fans but didn't see anything and only take a positive experience away. It may only be the Conference League but winning it and finishing in the top four shows real progress for this young team.

Ian: We are staying in Krakow - it has been an amazing experience. My son cried after we equalised, such a fab memory. A day of recovery exploring the city. Chill day definitely required!

Jacob: I had a couple of drinks with my mates after the game and we didn't get back home until 5am!

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Mo: People forget this isn't the same CFC that won the Champions League four years ago (apart from Reece James). This is a team full of kids with massive potential, who are yet to reach their prime. This win will do wonders for them. The bond, the hunger, the experience and the belief this win has created is invaluable. Their first steps in European Club football. Very happy for the boys and looking forward to the next few years as they hit their prime.

Stevie: We've won it all! Again! Great second half from the team. Malo Gusto had a shocker but he will learn and improve. We need a new striker as Jackson isn't good enough even though he scored. We should have won the competition but being favourites isn't always easy and we did the job. Djordje Petrovic in goal and Andrey Santos in the squad and we can do good things next season!!

Scott: This celebration wasn't about the Conference League - it was a marker that were rising back to where we feel we belong. I wouldn't swap Arsenal's season for ours and the questions about their current manager and team is 'have they peaked?, about whether Arteta should stay if they remain trophyless next season. The question about the current Chelsea team is solely about how far they can go. We've got our Chelsea back.

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Former Chelsea goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer says there is a "really good player" in Jadon Sancho but the winger "just has to find his place".

Sancho came off the bench to score the Blues' third with a fine finish in Wednesday's 4-1 Conference League final win over Real Betis in what could still be his final appearance for the club.

The 24-year-old joined the club on a season-long loan from Manchester United in August in a deal that included an obligation to buy for between £20m and £25m, but it emerged in March Chelsea could decide not to make the deal permanent if they pay United £5m.

"He's a bit of an anomaly," Schwarzer told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "He's struggled for game time for one reason or another.

"He's a player everyone knows has an incredible amount of ability - it is just trying to tap into that. He's proved he can do it while in Dortmund for a sustained period of time. It didn't work out at United and now he's been hit and miss with Chelsea.

"The question is, do they keep him? They're obliged to buy him but there is still a get out, which will cost them a little bit of money. Only time will tell what happens to Jadon Sancho but I still believe there is a really good player in there. He just has to find his place."

Sancho is one of several players in Enzo Maresca's squad with an uncertain future, including those who will return to the club from loan spells elsewhere.

"There are so many players at Chelsea in a similar position," Schwarzer added.

"Joao Felix is coming back and you look at him and think there is no place for him in this team. He doesn't suit the way they play either. The list goes on. "

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Will Faulks
Fan writer

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It has been pretty difficult to get excited about the Conference League this season.

A competition that is vaguely embarrassing to be in for a team of our size with our very presence in it merely a reminder of previous mistakes and bad results last season that stopped us qualifying for a bigger tournament.

The colossal disparity in budget and quality between us and teams we have faced has only served to reinforce that feeling. At times, it has felt like being forced to join in a running race against some eight-year-olds at a school sports day - losing would be terribly embarrassing, but winning only slightly less so.

That being said, facing a proper team in the final - and even being played off the park by them in the first half - made winning the game and lifting the trophy much more enjoyable in the end. Finally, some real competition and some real jeopardy.

Much has been made of the potential benefits to this team of winning a first trophy together, and watching the players and staff celebrate last night it clear that it could be very significant.

This experience will bring them together, while silverware validates this new project somewhat and gives Enzo Maresca and his staff a concrete achievement to hang onto.

The Champions League will be a far more severe test with harsher lessons to learn. At least now, this squad enter it with positive memories and experiences, as well as practice in managing the demands of playing twice a week and travelling across the continent.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

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Former Chelsea defender Mario Melchiot believes the club's Conference League victory is "a great starting point" for Enzo Maresca's young side.

The club have rotated throughout the competition in order to give youth a chance, and fielded the youngest ever Premier League side earlier this season - with their Premier League XI average also setting a new record at 24 years and 36 days.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast, Melchiot said: "You have to compliment him [Maresca] a little bit. The investment was heavy but [if] you get a lot of young boys together, you have to build a team. The experience is not [yet] in the team and then you have to gel it.

"I think Maresca made some key changes [last night] and the changes that he made, made a hell of a difference. One of the biggest was putting Reece James on and it became a different game," he added.

One criticism of Chelsea has been the quality of opposition they have faced in the Conference League, as well as their form in the Premier League since the turn of the year, but Melchiot thinks this has been a good season.

"He [Maresca] got the team playing well until December and then they had a dip," he added. "I said at the beginning at the season that to get Champions League football was the most important thing - that's what he achieved - and then he brings home a trophy as well.

"West Ham won it [Conference League] in 2023, and they were so happy. I know that you are Chelsea and you have to win the big prizes but this is a great start for a team that is built to achieve bigger and better things because they are young and there is longevity [within the squad]. It's a great starting point."

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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There is a real and genuine question about whether Chelsea should even be in this competition.

It is one even some Chelsea fans will be asking of themselves as they are both delighted have become the first team to win all European trophies but now never want to step foot in the Conference League again.

Chelsea won 12 of their 13 Conference League games this season. The Blues are also the competition's runaway top scorers, with 42 goals: 12 more than their nearest rivals Fiorentina and 19 more than Betis.

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Chelsea have earned around £15m in total for winning the Uefa Conference League.

Their prize money includes equal shares, performance-related amounts and winning the competition.

The 2024-25 Premier League prize money distribution has not been published yet, but to base it off last season's fourth place finish, Chelsea could earn about £47.9m.

Premier League prize money does not include facility fees from broadcasted matches, UK and international equal shares and central commercial payment.

In contrast, Tottenham's total prize money for winning the Europa League was about £26.5m.

A rough estimate of Slovan Bratislava, who finished 35 in the Champions League league-phase, is reported to be around Chelsea's total prize pot for the Conference League.

The BBC's Ask Me Anything team is here to serve you - so send your questions in now

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The morning after the night before.

As of course you know already, victory in the Conference League final means Chelsea are the first team to win all five European trophies .

How did you celebrate?

How are you feeling this morning?

What does this win mean for Chelsea?

Send us your thoughts and pictures

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

No-one needed this moment more than Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson.

Before the match, even Maresca said Jackson owed a "debt" to his team-mates after getting sent off in the defeat at Newcastle on 11 May, a red card that could well have cost Chelsea qualification for the Champions League.

After the match, Maresca said: "This is the Nico that the team needs."

He is among those who have struggled to convince the Stamford Bridge fanbase - and the club are looking to sign a striker, with Ipswich Town's Liam Delap among the targets.

For Maresca, this was his chance to show the club could build a winning mentality after a season during which he has faced criticism for his style of football and a run of poor results over the winter.

For the US consortium, their ownership was tarnished by 1,201 days without silverware but the moment captain Reece James lifted the Conference League trophy, the first in his captaincy, they earned valuable breathing room.

Boehly was the first to go and celebrate with the team, followed reluctantly by influential Clearlake Capital duo Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano.

Boehly and Clearlake have not always seen eye to eye this season but this is a period of relative stability after the club decided they would stick with Maresca regardless of the result of their final two matches of the season.

Chelsea beat Nottingham Forest to qualify for the Champions League and won against Betis to add silverware.

But Chelsea didn't sell out their allocation in Poland, for what was the final of European club football's third-tier competition, and fans will quickly move on if it is not backed up with both progress and further success next season.

Read Nizaar's full analysis here

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After lifting the Conference League trophy in his first season in charge, Enzo Maresca joins a rich history of Italian managers to have won silverware for the club.

• Gianluca Vialli - League Cup, Cup Winners Cup, Super Cup, FA Cup and Community Shield

• Carlo Ancelotti - Premier League, FA Cup and Community Shield

• Roberto di Matteo - Champions League and FA Cup

• Antonio Conte - Premier League and FA Cup

• Maurizo Sarri - Europa League

• Enzo Maresca - Conference League

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Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin says Wednesday's Conference League final turned on the introduction of captain Reece James at half-time.

James started from the bench but replaced Malo Gusto in the inverted right-back position at the break with the Blues 1-0 down and struggling.

"The entire game changed in the second half when James came on - Chelsea looked much more balanced," Nevin told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"It wasn't working for Malo Gusto because he isn't a central midfield player. A couple of minutes into the second half, James played a ball in from the right hand side, he just got into that area and knew how to play it. Nobody quite got on the end of it but the entire game completely changed in that moment.

"James looked better in that position and then the game started to open up. They have more power and strength than Real Betis and were always going to be able to keep on going and Chelsea are generally a better team in the second half."

James' England tea-mate Cole Palmer was named player of the match after providing assists for Enzo Fernandez's equaliser and the goal by Nicolas Jackson that turned the match around.

"There were lots of interesting one v ones - my favourite was Isco versus Palmer," Nevin added.

"Isco won the first half but Palmer hammered the second half. Those two beautiful, absolutely phenomenal assists he got were fantastic.

"Chelsea deserved it by a country mile in the end - but they had to work for it."

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Thursday's back pages are filled with pictures of Chelsea celebrations after the Blues came from behind to defeat Real Betis in the Conference League final.

The Star and the I focus on the fact Chelsea have now won every European trophy available to them, with The Star calling them 'Wroc Stars' in reference to the Polish city Wroclaw in which the final was played.

The Mirror labels the Blues 'Comeback Kings' after four goals in the final 25 minutes turned the final completely on its head while The Times opts for the angle of 'Winners at last' as Enzo Maresca secured the club's first trophy since the takeover by Tod Boehly and Clearlake Capital three years ago.

Newcastle are one of the clubs working on a deal for Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap, 22, who also has offers from Chelsea, Manchester United and Everton. (ipaper - subscription required)

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