The domestic seasons are finishing. Spain are nearly done. Italy are. Germany has concluded. France is completed. England and the Premier League have one game left.
There are still two European finals to consider but it is already time to look ahead for many. Chelsea have not been in that position due to how much the narrative around their own success or failure could change this week.
Two wins in the next few days will secure Champions League football and a piece of silverware, as expected. Whether that is simply meeting the initial goals or shows signs of genuine progress is likely to differ from person to person.
What is clear is that Chelsea will once more look different next year. Enzo Maresca will still be in charge, which is a start, but significant transfer plans are in place to help push things on.
A new striker, winger, and centre-back will be sought. In terms of the current squad, it will remain largely the same, albeit fleshed out with more depth.
Maresca will be the first Chelsea manager since Frank Lampard in 2019/20 and 2020/21 to kick off consecutive league seasons as manager. That is a remarkable thing to consider.
It will also be the first time he has entered a second year at a club in his senior career as a head coach as well. Chelsea are optimistic about what will follow.
Despite this being a tricky 12 months, Maresca has settled the defence and embedded a style of football which is deemed more sustainable than Mauricio Pochettino’s chaosball. Again, whether one is better than the other is up for debate.
Should Chelsea beat Nottingham Forest on Sunday and therefore get themselves back at the top table of European football then there will be very few who can reasonably argue against Maresca and the job he has done. Even with periods of immense struggle, to get across line would be a step forward.
The fringes and loan players will then likely be sold, if interest is there. Chelsea are keen to do business before the Club World Cup in America kicks off.
Winning the inaugural competition will be worth around £94million. Meanwhile, qualifying for the Champions League brings in £15million on its own.
This is a serious financial incentive worth a combined £109million. That would not only go some way to funding a chunk of the transfer activity Chelsea want to do but also offsets the £99million worth of signings they have made and could finally utilise this summer.
There remain holes in this squad that a defender, right-footed left-winger, and centre forward will not solve. The good news is that over the summer Chelsea already have four players ready to join up.
Dario Essugo was signed in January from Sporting CP and has been touted as a backup for Moises Caicedo. Andrey Santos is expected to finally make an introduction to the first team having spent the last two tours of America as part of the group before heading out on loan.
The pair cost Chelsea around £36million to buy but are already viewed as being ready to make an immediate impact. When it comes to Djordje Petrovic, Chelsea have a player who was the No.1 goalkeeper during the second half of last season.
He will return to be assessed after a strong loan with RC Strasbourg. Petrovic will be fighting to prove his worth over the unconvincing duo of Filip Jorgensen and Robert Sanchez.
At £14million, Petrovic is the cheapest goalkeeper of the current group. Mike Penders, 18, is seen as a long-term option and may be looked at over the summer. His immediate future lies elsewhere, though, as he seeks more senior experience.
That is two major positions possibly filled, then. Estevao Willian (possibly costing Chelsea £51million if all add-ons are met) will need time to adapt in England but is also going to bolster the attacking numbers.
He will only be 18 but is seen as one of the best young players in the world. Chelsea are dedicated to providing him a platform to develop, and develop quickly.
Unlike a push for Liam Delap or Benjamin Sesko, these additions do not rely on Chelsea getting into the top five. Once the Forest game and Conference League final is out of the way, they will be firmly part of Maresca’s plans.
Chelsea can already account for them in their squad lists. Kendry Paez is another who has been paid for but he is perhaps the rawest of them all.
The Ecuadorian may go on loan next season instead of being promoted straight into Maresca’s team. There would still be four new players here who Chelsea do not have to worry about negotiating for.
During a busy period of new FIFA competition and the end of this season, it is a timely boost. The most important thing is still to beat Forest and work from there on the biggest players. Being able to plan for 2025/26 with four new readymade players no matter the result cannot be sniffed at, though.
