The journey of the Conference League with Chelsea's Premier League is very opposite. In the domestic league, they no longer have the opportunity to win and still have to race the top 4 very intense. Meanwhile in the European playground, the way to the final is still very open to the Blues. The team of Enzo Maresca is the strongest rated tournament, much more than the remaining teams in terms of class and level.
The task of winning the Conference League is not too difficult, but this European third-place title, with many Chelsea fans, is not worthy of the team's stature. However, it is bringing a greater meaning to the title for The Blues, which is financial balance.
In the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, when Chelsea qualified for the Champions League, they earned around £80 million per campaign. The Conference League bonus cannot be compared to the Champions League but it will help The Blues officially get a ticket to the Europa League.
Currently, Chelsea is ranked 4th in the Premier League. After Arsenal's victory over Real Madrid in the quarterfinals of the Champions League first leg, the British championship will have 5 charges to attend the Champions League next season. Thus, if Chelsea lower the season in the top 5, they do not need to care about the benefits from the Conference League.
However, the Champions League ticket race is very tense as in addition to Chelsea, there are Man City, Newcastle and Aston Villa. According to Opta, The Blues have a 43.4% chance of finishing the season in the Top 5. This is a large proportion but not enough to ensure Maresca and his team can rest assured. Meanwhile, the finish rate in 6th place (27.2%) and 7th place (19%) is not small.
If Chelsea finishes in 6th place, they will still be able to participate in the Europa League in theory, but don't forget that the FA Cup champions will take this ticket. If Aston Villa or Crystal Palace can do that, they will push Chelsea (in 6th place) down to the Conference League, as Man United did last season. Therefore, in addition to trying to stay in the Top 5 of the Premier League, Chelsea need to win the Conference League to ensure their Europa League ticket or higher.
The Athletic, Man United last season earned about 32 million euros for the journey in the Europa League (eliminated in the quarterfinals). Starting this season, when UEFA changes the European Cup format, the number of matches for each team will increase, from which the amount of money to make is also more.
With a similar record to Man United last season (quarter-finals), a Premier League side like Chelsea could earn €60 million if they participate in the Europa League. From there, the net profit that can be achieved is 25 million Euros. For a team that has been shopping big like Chelsea in recent years, this is very important.
In Chelsea's financial report for the past 2 years, internal sales have left many controversies. It came from two hotels outside Stamford Bridge and from the Chelsea women's team. Both of these sectors have been recorded as losses and the club must find every way to compensate, especially if it does not violate the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules (PSR). UEFA is considering adding penalties to the rules for cases like Chelsea when they do not ensure internal balance. Therefore, they are forced to increase their revenue through the achievements of the men's team.
qualifying for the Champions League is still a priority, but if in the worst case scenario, the option of qualifying for the Europa League is still a lifebuoy so that everything goes normally. Enzo Maresca knows that very well, so The Blues will not be subjective in the Conference League.
