PSG notice to be genuine contenders for the trophy this time,but for Chelsea the exile from the Champions League begins, and when will it close?Chelsea have been left confronting a painful reality. Barring the capitulation of most of the clubs currently ensconced in the top half of the Premier League table, or they must effect without elite European football next season. It will be the first time in the Roman Abramovich era that they have not started a campaign in the Champions League,with all the financial implications their absence will bring – potentially to the tune of £30m – not to mention the prestige it will deny them. Antonio Conte, their manager in waiting, or is apparently in London hoping to conclude negotiations over a three-year contract. He may yet have a Europa League campaign cluttering up his schedule but,after 13 years, Chelsea will survey the elite from the outside looking in. It remains to be seen how long their exile will persist.
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Source: theguardian.com