Chelsea have been urged not to pursue European football next season unless they can qualify for the Champions League with Graham Potter's side still a long way off the top four. The Blues sit tenth ahead of their game on Saturday against Aston Villa but aren't out of the running for Europa League or Europa Conference League places.
However, given the scheduling that those competitions pile onto clubs competing in them, Paul Merson doesn't see a reason that the 2021 Champions League winners will want to play in either second rate tournament. Despite having won the Europa League in both seasons that they have dropped into it, Chelsea are looking for bigger achievements in the coming years.
“I think it’s going to get to a stage where they can’t want to get in the Europa Conference [League], surely,” Merson told Sky Sports ahead of the clash with Villa. The former Arsenal man has already seen the Premier League leaders dumped out of the tournament early.
