After failing to qualify for any European competition, Chelsea face the strange prospect of playing just one game a week for the whole of the 2026-27 campaign. A damaging final-day defeat at Sunderland denied the Blues any route to Europe at all and confirmed a deeply disappointing season at Stamford Bridge.
The Premier League’s final standings are in, and they confirm nine English clubs will play in Europe next season – with Chelsea notably absent. Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool all qualified for the Champions League while Bournemouth and Sunderland qualified for the Europa League alongside Conference League winners Crystal Palace. Brighton dropped down to the Conference League.
It was a far cry from the optimism Todd Boehly showed last summer after the club had enjoyed success in the Club World Cup. The 10th-placed finish is the second worst under the Boehly-Clearlake ownership that took over the club in a £4.25 billion deal in May 2022. Chelsea were 12th in 2022-23, then sixth the next season before leaping to fourth last term when they won the Conference League and the Club World Cup. However, managerial turmoil derailed the campaign, and it has ended without the European nights.
Why Chelsea Need to Go All Out in the Summer Transfer Window
The summer window has become absolutely pivotal for Chelsea’s recovery, with incoming head coach Xabi Alonso agreeing a four-year contract and set to officially take over in July. The Spaniard takes charge of a squad that has stumbled after Enzo Maresca left in January and Liam Rosenior was subsequently sacked.
Chelsea’s recruitment strategy is largely centred on strengthening their midfield options to ease the workload on Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez. Injuries to Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo have continued, and with Enzo potentially leaving the club this summer, moves need to be made in the middle of the park.
There is also expected to be movement in the other direction, with reports stating Alonso is willing to sanction the sale of Marc Cucurella this summer. For a club so familiar with continental competition not to be involved at all makes this arguably the most significant window of the ownership’s tenure. But the lack of midweek fixtures could give Alonso some precious time to drill his ideas on the training ground.