This week, for a Chelsea Confidential special edition, we’re letting you choose the topics.
We asked last week for you to send in your questions for our expert KIERAN GILL to answer – and you responded in droves.
Here, we dive into everything from Cole Palmer’s future to a new position for Moises Caicedo, and from stadium plans to decisions at centre back.
Was your question answered? And what’s really going on with the wonderkids on their way this summer? And which question was so good we got Enzo Maresca to answer it? Read on to find out.
Can you validate or debunk the rumours that Cole Palmer has a release clause this summer if we don’t get Champions League?
I checked in with Chelsea sources this morning and they have assured me it’s utter tosh: Cole Palmer’s updated contract does not contain a release clause this summer based on Champions League qualification.
The club were sympathetic to his rough patch when he went 18 games without a goal. He was beating himself up more than anyone apparently. Enzo Maresca had a fair few chats with him personally, telling him his spark would come back.
Cole Palmer’s updated contract does not contain a release clause this summer based on Champions League qualification
The club were sympathetic to Palmer’s rough patch when he went 18 games without a goal. He was beating himself up more than anyone apparently
That spark returned in that 3-1 win over Liverpool on Sunday. Anyway, I’m not sure that will stop the rumours from being regurgitated by the usual suspects on social media, but it seems you can rest assured he will be a Chelsea player next season.
Does Enzo Maresca see Moises Caicedo’s long-term future as a No 8 or a No 6?
I’ll be honest, I didn’t know a definitive take on this, so I asked Enzo Maresca to answer it on our behalf instead. Basically, I enquired as to his plans for Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia and Andrey Santos, who is set to return from his loan to Strasbourg.
Maresca told me: ‘I can answer the ones who are here. The ones who are not here, we’ll see. I see Moises as a six in the way he has been playing since we started. In the last games, he’s played as a full back off the ball and then on the ball, it’s a six, holding midfielder.
‘For Enzo, I think we are trying with him since day one to get more goals and assists. He’s improved. I still think he can do better. I still think in the way we play, he is a player who can score 10 and 15 goals each season. Romeo is a six, like Moises.
‘With all the players fit, Romeo, Reece (James), Wesley (Fofana), (Nicolas) Jackson, the team is better. Unfortunately some of them have been injured for a long time. But hopefully we can keep them now fit until the very end.’
So, from that, he sees Caicedo as a No 6, Lavia also a No 6, but Fernandez as more of a No 8. Chelsea’s new system, where Caicedo inverts from right back, has allowed him to use all three at the same time.
Enzo Maresca sees Moises Caicedo as a No 6 who can also invert from full back
Romeo Lavia is another option for Chelsea in the deepest-lying midfield role
Can Romeo Lavia be added to the Europa Conference League squad for the final?
Chelsea cannot alter their A list, but they can add an unlimited number to their B list until 11pm the night before any game, so long as they meet the criteria.
I checked with the relevant contacts at Chelsea and Uefa, because the wording in the Conference League rulebook is a little confusing, and have been told by both sides that Romeo Lavia is not eligible to be added before the May 28 final in Wroclaw, Poland.
Lavia, 21, was born after January 1, 2003, which ticked one box for the B list, but he has not been with the club for a long enough period and neither his time at Manchester City nor Southampton counts towards that, despite them being from the same association.
Also, medal wise, I’m told Chelsea will receive 50 gold ones if they win the Conference League or 50 silver ones if they finish runners-up.
It’s up to them how they then distribute them between their players and coaches. It is expected Mykhailo Mudryk would receive one as he participated in the competition earlier this season, despite him now being suspended from football.
Likewise, those on loan such as Joao Felix and Renato Veiga could get one too. I suspect us journalists who have followed the team here, there and everywhere will miss the cut, sadly.
What’s happening with the goalkeepers?
I’m told Robert Sanchez has been carrying a minor injury in the last two matches. He’s played well in those games, and that mini good spell has not gone unnoticed at Chelsea.
But then it is hard to ignore the bigger picture of the entire season and that includes Enzo Maresca getting so fed up with his errors that he dropped him for a few games in February.
Anyway, Chelsea are not currently searching for a new goalkeeper signing. They feel they have enough talent in the building as it is with Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen, Mike Penders and Djordje Petrovic.
It’s hard to ignore Enzo Maresca getting so fed up with Robert Sanchez’s errors that he dropped him for a few games in February
Mike Penders is set to join Chelsea from Genk before this summer’s Club World Cup
Assessments will be made in the summer ahead of next season, with Maresca set to evaluate Penders and Petrovic, who are both due to arrive before the Club World Cup.
From that, I expect at least one of these four goalies will go on to be loaned or sold. It’s been noted that Petrovic has shown big improvements when playing passes while on loan at Strasbourg.
Also, I believe Jorgensen will be in goal for the Conference League final at the end of this month, because he’s been their No 1 during that European campaign.
What style of striker does Enzo Maresca like?
Someone who will sprint into the spaces in behind and down the sides and who can hold the ball up and bring in others around him.
That sounds similar to Nicolas Jackson, but, crucially, Chelsea need the next striker they sign to be good at sticking the ball in the back of the net.
They’ve wasted too many chances to score this season, and though Jackson is still learning at 23, he could do better. It is hoped a little competition will help spur him on.
Which player trains the best?
The player whose name I’ve heard pop up most when this topic has been broached is Palmer.
He may look like a luxury player on the pitch, but he doesn’t shirk the work in training apparently, and he produced the best data during the six-month physical tests in February.
Palmer’s name comes up the most when I ask about who the hardest Chelsea trainers are
Will Champions League qualification see a change in transfer wage policy?
Ideally, those being targeted by Chelsea would embrace their existing wage structure. That is not to say it is so strict that it cannot be broken for a big name. I’m assured they would do so if they encountered an opportunity too good to turn down.
The same goes for sticking to their youthful transfer policy. But the club believe their overall approach is clever business. It’s up to you whether you then agree or disagree with that.
Moises Caicedo is the next in line for a bump, for example. He is already contracted until 2031. The club are under no obligation to improve the Ecuadorian’s terms. If they get into the Champions League, he’ll secure an automatic increase anyway due to the incentives built into his contract.
But they are ready to discuss rewarding Caicedo with a new deal once this season is over. They did that with Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson previously, and they’re two examples who can be cited in conversations with the camps of players they’re targeting.
If you perform to your potential, not only will your contractual bonuses kick in, but you can get an additional boost along the way, too.
What are the plans for our young stars, such as Estevao Willian, Kendry Paez, Marc Guiu? I also really want to know the situation of Christopher Nkunku.
Estevao Willian is set for Chelsea’s first-team squad next season, though Palmeiras have confirmed to me that the 18-year-old winger will play for them at the Club World Cup, rather than his new side.
Kendry Paez has been training with Strasbourg, but his camp insist there is currently no plan for him to be loaned there as the midfielder, 18, has been merely using that as an opportunity to get acclimatised to European football. Even so, I’ve got a nagging feeling that we should keep an eye on that one.
Palmeiras wonderkid Estevao Willian is set to slot straight into Chelsea’s first team next season
Kendry Paez has been training with Strasbourg, but his camp insist there is currently no plan for him to be loaned there
Marc Guiu is expected to stick around even if Chelsea sign a striker as the 19-year-old is seen as a good back-up option, particularly if others pick up injuries.
As for Christopher Nkunku, safe to say he’s available for sale this summer.
Do we sign Dean Huijsen?
Huijsen is the centre back Chelsea want more than most. Obviously, they aren’t alone in that chase, though Liverpool believe the Blues are closer to landing the Bournemouth defender than them.
Jorrel Hato at Ajax is another who has been tracked by both of those Premier League clubs. However, it has been noted that he’s made mistakes in the Eredivisie, even as recently as last month, when he made two in a 4-0 loss at Utrecht. He’s only 19 so time is on his side to improve.
But we will need to see if Chelsea can get Huijsen, first and foremost. Champions League qualification would be big.
Dean Huijsen is the centre back Chelsea want more than most. Obviously, they aren’t alone in that chase, though Liverpool believe the Blues are closer to landing him than them
Will there be any information soon regarding whether they are redeveloping Stamford Bridge or looking to move?
It’s moved at a snail’s pace and I’ve heard nothing which suggests that will change until everyone involved comes together in agreement over what direction they want to go in.
Todd Boehly has even suggested that when Chelsea’s owners took over in May 2022 they gave themselves 15 to 20 years to figure it out, which isn’t ideal for fans.
We have nine centre backs on the books and are still looking for more. What is the plan, if any?
Axel Disasi should be sold once he returns from his loan at Aston Villa and I haven’t heard that the stance has changed on Trevoh Chalobah, who could also be available for sale despite his improving performances.
Renato Veiga and Benoit Badiashile may also attract interest in the summer, while Aaron Anselmino should be allowed to leave on loan.
Axel Disasi should be sold once he returns from his loan at Aston Villa
Mamadou Sarr will arrive from Strasbourg to add further depth at centre back
Chelsea quietly turned down a big bid from Bayern Munich for Levi Colwill last summer. That would have been a nice chunk of pure profit, but they saw him as a rising star and still have high hopes for him. Mamadou Sarr, 19, will arrive from Strasbourg.
I haven’t heard anything to suggest Chelsea are looking to sell Josh Acheampong, whose versatility has impressed Maresca, or Tosin Adarabioyo, whose leadership qualities are highly appreciated.
What are they telling young recruits to sell them on this project?
I’ll defer this answer to the agent of one of the young superstars signed by Chelsea.
When asked why they chose this project over the others available to them, he told me anonymously: ‘They are showing their long-term project. It’s the best in the world. When you currently have the best young players, and you are signing the best of the best in promising players, you just can succeed.’
