Chelsea were happy after qualifying for the Champions League with an away win over Nottingham Forest.
The main goal of coach Enzo Maresca this season is to bring Chelsea back to where they deserved. And he has done what everyone expected in his first season in charge of the Blues.
There is still a Europa Conference League final in midweek against Real Betis. But even if they lose this championship, the 2024-2025 season is still considered a success at Stamford Bridge. This is an important milestone on the long way to get Chelsea back to the top.
Last summer, Chelsea's top management and executives were criticized for their transfer strategy and squad size.
They have 42 first-team players, but what Maresca said at that time has come true. Chelsea are fourth in the Premier League with 26 players and nine key players who have played more than 30 times throughout the season.
The Blues are also currently the youngest team in Premier League history, with an average age of 24 years and 36 days. That means they can develop and mature further with their experience in the Champions League next season.
Last summer, people also talked a lot about the fact that Chelsea players have a total of 191 years of contracts. However, signing long-term contracts with the world's best young players seems reasonable when Real Madrid is trying to recruit Enzo Fernandez. The Blues are currently tying the 2022 World Cup champions with a 7-year contract.
Eligibility for the Champions League will make it easier for Chelsea to sign the best players available this summer. However, no plans to change the lineup have been made. A major overhaul was carried out last summer, with 11 new players arriving. Therefore, this time, The Blues can be more cautious.
There is a lot of information that Chelsea will sign another striker in the summer of 2025 as well as a winger. And a new centre-back is also their top priority.
Forwards such as Viktor Gyokeres, Benjamin Sesko, Liam Delap, Hugo Ekitike and Jonathan David are still targets for The Blues. And their transfer strategy will be discussed more closely after the Europa Conference League final.
Along with Manchester City, Chelsea are one of two English sides representing the Premier League in the FIFA Club World Cup in the US next month. They are expected to use a special early transfer window from June 1 to June 10 to strengthen their squad.
The club's board believe Maresca are on track with their project even before they won against Nottingham Forest to secure fourth place.
"I am very happy for a variety of reasons. I think the players deserve this. From the first day of the season, they have worked very hard. Clubs, leaders, our players are on the right track.
The result is always important, but we want to win in our own way. In this match, my players played well. We made appropriate adjustments because the nature of the game was very difficult," Maresca said after the win over Nottingham Forest.
Chelsea have no plans to sign superstar players such as Real Madrid winger Rodrygo. Although The Blues have earned at least £100 million when qualifying for the Champions League. And they could earn an additional £100 million if they reach the FIFA Club World Cup final.
Rodrygo is considered an excellent player but the total cost of any potential deal, including the salary, is too high. This move will not be in line with Chelsea's strategy in recent transfer windows.
Chelsea's model, very similar to Paris St Germain, is to build a squad of world-class young players who will develop together and compete for major titles next season.
PSG have reached this year's Champions League final with a young, enthusiastic squad. They changed their strategy and abandoned the model of recruiting superstar players such as Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
