Chelsea currently face a difficult battle to secure Champions League football for next season. Having thrashed Southampton 4-0 on Tuesday, the Blues have broken into the top four in the Premier League table, but they’re just two points ahead of Manchester City and Newcastle, who play their respective matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool on Wednesday.
Questions have been asked about the future of their key players in case Enzo Maresca’s team doesn’t qualify for UEFA’s elite club competition, most notably that of Cole Palmer. However, the Italian coach doesn’t seem too worried on that front.
“First of all, we need to see how we finish,” he said. “And then, in case we don’t finish in the top four, we’ll see if Cole is happy or not happy.
“But I don’t think that Cole is worried at this moment about next year, that he wants to play in the Champions League. Cole is just focused on how he can help the team, how we can help him and, as I said already this season, how all together we can bring this club where it has to be.”
“For sure, if we finish top four and we can play in the Champions League next season we can convince [more] players to come here. But [regarding the] players that are already here, I don’t think we need that,” Maresca added.
Despite his recent performances not being quite at the level expected from a player like Palmer, the numbers racked up by the 22-year-old attacking midfielder (14 goals and six assists in 27 Premier League appearances) remain quite respectable.
