Why winning the Carabao Cup could be a disaster for Chelsea

I've won but at what cost?

Chelsea take on Liverpool in the Carabao Cup on February 25 at Wembley as they look to salvage their poor season by winning a trophy during Mauricio Pochettino's first year in charge.

If they win, they will also be rewarded with a place in the UEFA Conference League, which may come in handy given that they are sitting in 11th and don't look like they stand a chance of finishing in a European place.

But qualifying for the competition could cause problems in a few areas.

The implications Chelsea could face

Qualifying for the Conference League means that Chelsea could earn up to £15m in prize money should they go all the way but according to the Daily Mirror, new Financial Fair Play rules brought in will restrict the Blues' spending.

Clubs will only be allowed to spend a maximum of 80 per cent of their revenue.

Since Chelsea spend around £360m on wages and are set to record revenues less than £450m for the next two seasons, they would only be able to spend £10m - leaving Chelsea with little to help them add to their squad.

On the off chance they miraculously qualify for the Champions League they would have far more money to spend but one look at the table and Chelsea's recent form would suggest that the likelihood of that happening is not very likely.

How would this affect Chelsea in the transfer market?

There's no hiding from the fact that Chelsea want to do business in the summer.

Most importantly, they want to find a striker who is capable of consistently scoring and can be a match winner when needed.

Victor Osimhen is one of their main targets but it's safe to say that a £10m bid won't suffice for Napoli.

Pochettino has a lot of players on his books and it's expected that they will try and move a few on from Stamford Bridge. Clearing the deadwood out and getting respectable fees will be the only way to boost their budget.

That may prove to be easier said than done however given that a large amount of the squad are on contracts of three years and longer, as well as extremely bloated wages, which they will also want at prospective new clubs.

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