Football news - Questions over owner, manager and brightest star - Chelsea's summer of chaos looms

ByDan Levene

Published 25/03/2019 at 11:38 GMT

A transfer ban, a change of manager, the departure of the club's biggest star, and lingering questions about its owner? Dan Levene on what looks like being a tumultuous summer for Chelsea.

It is less than 100 days until the summer transfer window opens, and a huge question mark hangs over Chelsea's involvement in it.

That is just one of a number of big questions which are beginning to dominate talk about the next steps at Stamford Bridge, with the continuing involvement in the club of Roman Abramovich the subject of more speculation than ever before.

"The messages we’ve got are that Chelsea can’t appeal the case and therefore want to keep all the players," Andreas Christensen told Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet.

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At the time of writing there was some uncertainty over whether this statement represented a leak of some additional information, known only inside Chelsea; or simply a representation of the latest, as publicly communicated by FIFA.

Having been hit with the two-window ban in February, the club made clear their intention to appeal.

The immediate expectation was this would mean a summer of rebuilding while the lawyers organised a case. But FIFA then instructed that the penalty could not be temporarily shelved during any appeals process.

A Chelsea statement made clear the club's board were 'astonished' at this lack of consistency with bans doled out on other clubs; and strongly hinted that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) would be called upon to pass judgment on that point.

The problem is that the involvement of CAS is both time consuming, and expensive.

And time and cash are two commodities most will agree are in short supply at Chelsea.

Any transfer ban would prohibit the club from making incoming player registrations; but would not stop them selling.

And questions around Eden Hazard's future look almost certain to be resolved this summer – with a likely move to Real Madrid.

Any lingering questions about such a turn of events seemed to be resolved by the reappointment of Zinedine Zidane as Bernabeu boss. The Belgian has made no secret of a mutual appreciation between the current, and former, playing stars.

Talk emerged, over the weekend, of a £60m Real bid being knocked back by Chelsea.

But any final deal is unlikely to run too much higher, with Hazard's contract about to run into its final year.

Certainly, any comparisons with the mega-fees handed over for Neymar or Philippe Coutinho, looks outlandish.

Zidane shouts at his Real Madrid team

Image credit: Getty Images

And Chelsea may have to look more to the add-ons as a way of gaining real value from any such deal: options on other players; or longer term agreements on talent development.

So with the club's focus starting to sharpen on plans for a new season without the brightest star, and without any new buys to replace him; the next big question is: who will be in charge?

It is very clear patience has run thin with Maurizio Sarri: with performances and results going into reverse yet again.

Maurizio Sarri preso di mira dai tifosi del Chelsea con striscioni e cori

Image credit: Getty Images

The parameters for success remain as they always were: Champions League qualification is the bare minimum expected.

Chelsea now know their possible route to Baku; and the Europa League is looking more and more like Sarri's best – perhaps only – chance of keeping his job.

The elephant in the room, and one which unites all of these factors, is the enduring uncertainty over Abramovich.

Chelsea have been clear: the club is not for sale. But that looks unlikely to quash the speculation.

It is just 129 days until the new Premier League season kicks off: and there are a multitude of matters to be resolved between now and then.

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