While the players of Newcastle United stood in front of the noisy band of travelling supporters and celebrated qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since 2002, their counterparts in blue made a slightly sheepish beat around the Stamford Bridge pitch and wondered what comes next after the season from hell finally came to an end.
The immediate answer was a fond farewell to Frank Lampard after his unsatisfactory stint as caretaker ended in a lively 1-1 draw with Newcastle. Yet in the longer term, Chelsea know they are in for a long rebuild. They have finished in the bottom half for the first time since 1996 and their owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, will have little to celebrate when they mark the one-year anniversary of their takeover of the club tomorrow. Even news of Mauricio Pochettino signing his deal to become Chelsea’s new manager will have to be checked against the reality that the months ahead could be long, painful and extremely costly.
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