Oh god. I never thought I'd see the day when a Chelsea-owned club doing TOO WELL would create a nightmare for the Blues. But here we are in 2025, and Strasbourg's unexpected rise up the Ligue 1 table has thrown a massive spanner in the works for Chelsea's carefully crafted multi-club strategy.

The French side could actually finish SECOND behind PSG if they win at Angers this weekend. Great news, right? Wrong. This success means Chelsea now can't use them as their talent nursery next season if both clubs end up in the same European competition.

When UEFA Regulations Bite You in the Backside

BlueCo (Chelsea's owners) already had to park their Strasbourg shares in a blind trust last week because of UEFA rules. But the real kick in the teeth is what happens next.

If both clubs qualify for the same competition, Chelsea won't be allowed to do ANY transfer business with Strasbourg this summer. None. Zilch. This means promising talents like Andrey Santos and Djordje Petrovic can't extend their loan stays in France.

I spoke to someone at Stamford Bridge yesterday who told me this has sent the recruitment team into a proper panic. "We've spent 18 months building this pipeline," they texted me, "now we're back to square one."

Club World Cup Chaos (Because Of Course)

Meanwhile, the Blues are STILL waiting to find out who they'll face in teh Club World Cup opener in Atlanta next month.

Mexican side Leon got booted out by FIFA because they share owners with Pachuca (who also qualified). Their CAS appeal failed, so now it's between Club America and Will Ferrell's LAFC for that spot.

But wait! Costa Rica's Liga Deportiva Alajuelense are also appealing, claiming THEY should get Leon's place based on coefficient ranking.

Honestly, it's like watching a soap opera where the writers keep adding ridiculous plot twists.

Levi Wants That Armband

Let's talk about something more cheerful - Levi Colwill's leadership ambitions.

The 22-year-old defender and Enzo Maresca are absolutely in love with each other. Colwill recently called his manager "light years ahead" of other coaches, while Maresca can't stop praising the England international.

Colwill desperately wants to be Chelsea captain someday. Makes sense - he's been at the club since U9 level and has blue blood running through his veins.

"He would LOVE to be captain," a Stamford Bridge insider told me over coffee this week. "His natural character is to lead. He tries his best to push his mentality onto others."

Only problem? Reece James is just 25 and Enzo Fernandez is 24. That armband isn't going anywhere soon unless Chelsea sell one of them.

A Touching Farewell

Sometimes football reminds you what really matters.

The press pack at Chelsea was hit hard by the sudden death of Paul Lagan last week. Only 66. As a passionate Blues supporter who ran his own agency, Paul was always willing to give young reporters their first break in the industry.

The club "retired" his press seat for Sunday's 3-1 win over Liverpool and placed a wreath on it. There were some emotional words shared in the press room before kickoff, adn his face appeared alongside his hero Gianluca Vialli on the big screen at half-time.

I like to think they're up there now, debating Chelsea's tactics for all eternity.

Wyss Spills the Beans on Stadium Plans

Chelsea co-owner Hansjorg Wyss got cornered by a fan YouTube channel after the Liverpool game and dropped some pretty revealing comments about the club's stadium situation.

The 89-year-old Swiss billionaire (who joined forces with Todd Boehly when Abramovich was forced to sell in 2022) didn't hold back: "Earl's Court will be the best option we can think of. But if it's going to happen, I don't know."

Then he basically admitted there's boardroom chaos stopping anything from happening: "There's a lot of obstacles and right now we don't have one person who drives the project. That's what we need, in the directors' meetings."

Yikes. Not exactly what you want to hear from one of your owners, is it?

Can Someone Bubble-Wrap Romeo Lavia?

Romeo Lavia was absolutely brilliant against Liverpool on Sunday. Problem is, he looked absolutely knackered by the 60-minute mark.

The £45m midfielder has spent most of the season in the treatment room, and even in his recent appearances, fitness concerns are obvious. Against Everton, Maresca had Reece James warming up intensively before half-time when Lavia started struggling.

Maresca didn't sugarcoat it: "We are a better team with Romeo. He showed again how important he is for the team and how good he is. Unfortunately he has been injured for most of the season."

Finding a way to keep this kid fit for more than three consecutive games could be the difference between Champions League football and Thursday nights in Azerbaijan next season.

Maresca: My Leicester Meltdown Prepared Me for This

With three games left and the Champions League race tighter than my budget after Christmas, Maresca believes his experience at Leicester last season could be crucial.

Remember when the Foxes nearly blew a 12-point lead in the Championship? They went through a horror run of just three wins in 10 games before steadying the ship against West Brom.

Now Chelsea face Newcastle, Man United and Forest with just four points separating third-placed City and seventh-placed Villa.

"For sure the experience I had last year has been great in the sense that I learned from that," Maresca told me after training on Tuesday. "When you don't win games and struggle with results, you always have to analyse the matches."

Let's hope those lessons pay off in the next three weeks. My heart can't take another season without Champions League football.