Club legend Pat Nevin has suggested that Chelsea's business model will be labelled a failure unless they qualify for next season's Champions League.
Chelsea have spent much of the season in the top four of the Premier League table after an impressive start to life under head coach Enzo Maresca.
However, failing to prevail from any of their last four fixtures have left the Blues in fourth spot and 10 points adrift of leaders Liverpool.
As a result, Chelsea are now realistically left with Champions League qualification to play for, a race that currently features eight teams with ninth-placed Fulham only six points adrift of their West London neighbours.
Speaking to Sports Mole, Nevin - who spent five years with Chelsea between 1983 and 1988, winning two Player of the Year awards - has claimed that it is "vital" that Chelsea earn a return to European football's top table for 2025-26.
'Chelsea need the money'
Chelsea's co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have taken an extravagant approach to trying to regain Chelsea's place among football's elite, already splashing in excess of £1bn on new players since the summer of 2022.
To overcome the issues which come with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules, Chelsea have taken measures such as selling two hotels to a sister company, raising £76.5m in that instance.
Furthermore, homegrown talents continue to be sold for pure profit in the eyes of PSR, another valuable tool to keep on the right side of the rules, and Chelsea have subsequently been cleared of any breaches for up to and including the 2023-24 campaign.
Nevertheless, Nevin has talked up the importance of Champions League football, saying: "I think it is vital that they get it this year, because remember, 'it's the economy, stupid', as [Bill] Clinton used to say - and others before him, it has to be said!
"You need the money. You need the money to keep on coming in. Chelsea have done some incredible things I could never have imagined. I've been an executive of a club myself, a chief exec - I wouldn't have considered selling off land, or selling off the women's team, or selling off hotels to make the budget, or selling off some of your best young, homegrown players.
"It looks good as long as you're top four, but it doesn't look so good if you drop out of that. Players like [Lewis] Hall or [Tino] Livramento and all them start doing incredibly well, which they are, and a whole host of others.
"But if you look at Chelsea, look at the way it's working, get into Champions League, which they've got a good chance of doing, I think they streamline it a little bit over this transfer window and definitely the next one."
Newcastle to emerge as Chelsea's biggest competition?
At a time when Chelsea's form has dropped off, Newcastle United have recorded five successive wins to sit within a point of the West Londoners.
Although the likes of Manchester City, Bournemouth and Aston Villa are all within close proximity, Nevin has highlighted the Magpies as the team to watch.
The former Scottish playmaker added: "I watched Newcastle last weekend, and they made nine changes, and they didn't look that much weaker. A bit weaker, [Alexander] Isak is a big miss, but other than that, they looked OK.
"That's where Chelsea would like to be. To be honest, Newcastle may well be Chelsea's biggest problem, because they're riding their coattails, four of their next five games are at home in the league in Newcastle, and they're very good there at home, and they have got the type of balanced squad now that Chelsea would like to have.
"If you compare it with Newcastle when they were in the Champions League, the wheels came off, because they didn't have the balance in the squad. Whereas, you look at Chelsea now, it looks as if there's plenty, but that will look very different when you have to play all your best players in the Premier League, in the Champions League, etc.
"They need a better squad that's got a better balance, and that's what they've got to do."
If Chelsea fail to overcome Bournemouth on Tuesday evening, Newcastle will have the opportunity to move ahead of Maresca's side when they play host to Wolverhampton Wanderers 24 hours later.
Pat Nevin was talking to Sports Mole on behalf of talkSPORT BET body check tags ::
