18 hours ago
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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca says the nine volition "dominate" the Premier League successful the adjacent 5 to 10 years.
The 44-year-old Italian has repeatedly played down his team's rubric chances this season, contempt Chelsea being 3rd successful the array and level connected points and extremity quality with Mikel Arteta's challengers Arsenal.
Chelsea leapfrogged struggling champions Manchester City aft a convincing 3-0 triumph astatine location to Aston Villa connected Sunday, but inactive way league leaders Liverpool by 9 points.
However, Maresca continues to refute Chelsea's readiness to vie for titles contempt the satellite grounds sums successful aggregate transportation windows nether their Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital ownership group.
Chelsea person spent much than £1.5billion since the Clearlake takeover, mostly connected younger players connected longer contracts, albeit balanced by important sales.
The likes of Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Nicolas Jackson are hitting highest form, adding to the prima interaction of Cole Palmer implicit the past 18 months.
But Maresca believes the inexperience of his squad, which has an mean property of conscionable implicit 23, is simply a crushed they volition yet autumn abbreviated this season.
"We’re not successful the rubric race. We are not, successful my opinion," said Maresca.
Speaking up of Wednesday's Premier League lucifer distant to Southampton, Maresca added: "What I said to the owners and the sporting directors the archetypal clip I met them, due to the fact that of the age, and due to the fact that of however bully the squad is, for maine Chelsea successful the adjacent 5 to 10 years volition beryllium 1 of the teams, oregon the team, that is going to predominate English football.
"This is what I said this to the nine the archetypal clip I met them. No substance who volition beryllium the manager, for the adjacent 5 oregon 10 years, due to the fact that of the age, the squad, you tin predominate English football, and I inactive deliberation precisely the same.
"In presumption of a people they didn’t inquire maine for immoderate target, lone to effort to physique thing important for the adjacent years. I deliberation we are [heading] successful the close direction.
"In presumption of a idiosyncratic target, I cognize you conflict to judge but I’m not focused connected [the] extremity of season, adjacent season, due to the fact that it’s not real."
Chelsea finished 12th and sixth successful the archetypal 2 seasons nether their caller American ownership, without winning a trophy, but person begun to stabilise and amended nether Maresca.
Meanwhile, Maresca didn't springiness an nonstop timeline connected Wesley Fofana's latest hamstring wounded setback but said the centre-back, 23, would beryllium retired for "weeks", on with skipper Reece James.
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