Chelsea and the rest of the Premier League are considering a revamp of the League Cup, including scrapping replays, it has been revealed.
The Blues reached the final of both League Cups last season but fell to disappointing defeats, losing on penalties to Liverpool both in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.
Liverpool came out victorious at Wembley, but future competitions could look different to that of last season and this season.
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As reported by The Times, radicap changes are being considered for the League Cup by Premier League clubs as part of the 'New Deal for Football'.
This plan is said to be top of the agenda at a Premier League shareholders' meeting on Wednesday.
The changes are said to be part of a deal to distribute extra funds to the EFL and reform parachute payments.
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Furthermore, the calendar proposals are from 2024 and would look to scrap third and fourth round FA Cup replays entirely, but the Football Association must agree to this.
Furthermore, clubs involved in European competitions would either not compete in the League Cup (Carabao) or would instead field under-21 sides.
This is as the Premier League wishes to free up space in the fixture calendar, with congestion following the 2022 World Cup.
However, top-flight clubs will not push for the League Cup to be scrapped, nor for all FA Cup games to be played in midweek.
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The EFL has not yet been approached over these plans but that some clubs in the lower divisions would also be in favour of getting rid of replays, with the sides believing that they have a greater chance of beating Premier League teams on penalties if the scores are level rather than playing another match.
It further states that clubs will wait to see if Liz Truss, the new prime minister, will make any changes before making a final decision.
The 'New Deal' is said to allocate funding to clubs in the Championship based on where they finish in the table, similar to that in the Premier League.
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Clubs in the second division would also face restrictions on spending on transfers and wages for the first time, perhaps affecting relegated teams.
Parachute payments would remain but they would be greatly reduced from the £44 million given to relegated clubs for the season after their demotion.
With the 'New Deal' set to be brought up at the shareholders' meeting, it remain to be seen as to whether the Premier League will be in favour.
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For Chelsea, it would certainly mean less fixture congestion as their players are already struggling with fatigue due to the frequencey of playing.
Topics: Chelsea, Premier League, FA Cup, Football
Nick Emms