Enzo Maresca left with huge Chelsea calls ahead of Club World Cup opportunity

Chelsea will represent the Premier League in the FIFA Club World Cup off the back of winning the Europa Conference League and there is plenty of intrigue surrounding Enzo Maresca’s side

Enzo Maresca has already won a European trophy and booked a place in next season’s Champions League. But in reality, Maresca is still only on par. While no-one would admit it publicly, it would have been a failure if Chelsea had not lifted the Europa Conference League trophy and getting back on European football’s biggest stage was always the target.

And yet the Club World Cup offers not just the incentive of a £97m jackpot for the winners but also a huge opportunity for Chelsea. This could be the tournament which puts them back among the elite and, almost as importantly, gives them a chance to start shaping their future. This is also about what Chelsea can get out of this tournament as a squad.

When appointing Maresca last year, the club made it clear they viewed the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons almost as two years rolled into one.

Why? The unique nature of the Club World Cup threw up a new challenge but also a big opportunity.

They have spent big ahead of the tournament in the United States, adding Mike Penders, Mamadou Sarr, Dario Essugo and Liam Delap and putting them straight into their 28 man squad for the Club World Cup.

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They spent £30m on Delap and now comes the question over whether he can challenge Nicolas Jackson to be the club’s first choice No9. Jackson can be rash, unreliable and temperamental as getting sent off at Newcastle in the run-in proved. But he is also strong, improving and, for Senegal against England, he has shown big potential.

Now comes Delap who was sought-after by a string of clubs and it now remains to be seen whether he is good enough to win his place as first choice or provide the sort of competition which Jackson needs to focus his mind.

The line-ups in the United States – starting against Los Angeles FC in Atlanta on Monday – should be very revealing about that striker dynamic.

Equally, the keeper issue is yet to be resolved. They were so adamant that Robert Sanchez was going to stay No1, had the club’s full backing – and yet then went for AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan.

They could not get a deal done but may yet revisit it but stressed it was an opportunity which popped up. However, it still reveals that there are doubts over the keeper issue and they do have a young gem in Mike Penders who has been out on loan but is highly-regarded.

Chelsea’s Filip Jörgensen played the Conference League final but there can be no doubt that a convincing No1 would really improve the whole team and give the team more confidence.

What happens in the United States should be really revealing on that front. Quite how far Chelsea go will also shape their plans for next season because they want to give players a break and yet the Premier League starts just five weeks after the Club World Cup final on July 13.

That is a dilemma for a lot of clubs and managers. But the worry for Chelsea is that there is an acceptance they have still got ground to make up on Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City. But starting as a disadvantage while giving their main rivals a head start is exactly what Chelsea do not need. They must get the balance right between wanting to win but also being recharged and ready for next season.

The other fascinating dynamic is that arguably Chelsea’s most exciting young signing is playing at the Club World Cup – just not for them. They paid £29m for Estevao Willian who was courted by every big club in Europe. Chelsea landed him but allowed him to stay at Palmeiras for another year and the Brazilian club are in Group A.

There will be a lot of excitement about this 18-year-old and it could catch light in the United States. He is so skilful, such a terrific dribbler and is hugely entertaining.

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