Chelsea’s players have enjoyed a lucrative week, with almost all of them triggering automatic pay rises in their contracts thanks to securing Champions League football.
Some salaries have been bumped up by as much as by 20 per cent, Confidential has learned, as Clearlake favour issuing deals with incentives based on success.
Raheem Sterling is one of the only ones who has not triggered a rise, with his contract handled by Todd Boehly when he signed in 2022. His pay is consistent regardless and the same would have gone for Kalidou Koulibaly if he was still at the club.
Sterling has not yet been told by Arsenal what will be happening with him this summer, though he is in line to return to Chelsea after his loan. He scored just once in 28 appearances in all competitions, with that goal coming against Bolton in the League Cup. The Blues will need to find a buyer for him, with a switch to MLS said to be among the possibilities.
It is believed there are also bonuses on offer for winning the Conference League, dependent upon how many appearances each player has made. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has appeared the most in Europe’s third-tier competition for Chelsea this season, with his 14 appearances in the Conference League more than his 13 in the Premier League.
But Enzo Maresca is not set to earn any extra cash should they triumph in Wroclaw tonight.
SORRY JACKSON ASKS TO START
Nicolas Jackson is expected to be immediately thrown back in for Chelsea’s Conference League final with Real Betis, with sources close to the striker saying he has told Maresca he wants to make amends for his red card at Newcastle, which put their Champions League push in jeopardy.
Chelsea managed to finish fourth without their main goalscorer, who apologised to his team-mates for his mistake, which ruled him out of their remaining Premier League games.
LEGIA FINED FOR FIREWORKS
Legia Warsaw have been fined just short of £38,000 by UEFA for their fans’ use of fireworks when they visited Stamford Bridge last month.
Legia secured a 2-1 win at the Bridge, but it was not enough to overturn the 3-0 first-leg advantage that Chelsea had built up a week earlier in Poland.
It is not the first time they have been punished for their antics in England in the Conference League, having been hit with a five-game away fans ban and ordered to pay Aston Villa compensation last season when they threw missiles and attacked police outside Villa Park, having been banned due to previous bad behaviour.
ENZO'S 'EFF OFF' OURBURST IMPRESSES INSIDERS
Mail Sport asked Enzo Maresca in his press conference at Nottingham Forest whether he was aware that Chelsea were officially the youngest Premier League side in history.
What followed was an answer from Maresca in which he told Chelsea’s critics to ‘eff off’.
There was nothing wrong with his outburst. In fact, some at the club liked seeing how he puffed out his chest to tell his doubters what's what.
Maresca had brought his daughter into the press conference also. She sat at the back and listened to her dad speak to us after the 1-0 win.
SANCHO IN THE DARK
Jadon Sancho’s camp still do not know Chelsea’s plans for him this summer, with all having agreed to wait until after the Conference League final before finalising his future.
There is a good chance he returns to Manchester United, despite wanting to stay. Chelsea can either send him back for £5million or sign him for £25m.
MUDRYK TURNS UP
Mykhailo Mudryk was spotted by Chelsea supporters in Wroclaw, Poland, on Tuesday. Specifically, he was in a steakhouse called Whiskey in the Jar.
He was hardly inconspicuous, given he was around the corner from the fanzone and in club gear.
One fan told us he asked the Ukrainian what he was doing there and, apparently, his answer was that he needed to collect his medal. Chelsea will be given 50 medals to distribute to players and staff, with Mudryk having scored three goals in six appearances in the run to Wroclaw.
He was in good spirits, welcoming any supporters who wanted to take a selfie with him. It is the first time Mudryk has been seen in a Chelsea setting since he was suspended for failing a doping test.
LAVIA TRAINS DESPITE NOT BEING ELIGIBLE
Chelsea trained in Wroclaw on Tuesday night and Romeo Lavia and Aaron Anselmino were both with them despite neither being eligible to face Real Betis, as neither are in the squad.
JAMES TO START?
Reece James was put up for the pre-match press conference and said: ‘If I am called upon tomorrow, I am ready.’
That made some Chelsea supporters wonder whether he had been told he will not be starting.
However, it was because Maresca had not yet revealed his starting lineup to the squad.
My guess is James starts, with this my predicted line-up: Jorgensen; James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Neto, Palmer, Madueke; Jackson.