Has run to Club World Cup final been worth it for Chelsea?

Whatever happens in Sunday’s final, Chelsea will be walking away from the Club World Cup with more than 10% of the total $1bn (£740.5m) prize pot set aside by Fifa.

Given their already lavish summer spending, it is money not to be sniffed at.

But the competition, which will reach its conclusion when the Blues face Paris St-Germain in New Jersey, has been about more than just the vast riches on offer for Enzo Maresca’s side.

It represents an opportunity to add a second trophy in as many months after their Conference League triumph in June, further dampening criticism of the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital project built around signing young players on long contracts.

It’s also a chance to say they are world champions – at least until the next tournament is held in 2029.

Chelsea have put significant work in getting this far, with potential injuries to contend with and a shorter pre-season before the Premier League season begins on 16 August.

Chelsea’s non-international players had a 10-day break after winning the Conference League final, but others came into the competition after representing their national sides just a week earlier.

They had a four-day stint training at Cobham before flying into Atlanta for a match against Los Angeles FC, before basing themselves in Philadelphia for the majority of the group stage.

They moved on to Miami, before settling in New York for the semi-final and final – the travelling has been vast.

But there was one constant in the United States – it was hot everywhere and impacted Chelsea’s ability to train. And, while the club has coped admirably and found ways to win, keeping players happy has been another challenge.

A large amount of freedom has been afforded to the players by manager Maresca to enjoy their downtime in the various US cities, while also expecting a high degree of professionalism.

Players have been able to meet friends and family, especially from the knockout stages onwards, and it has kept many happier than might have been the case.

With pre-season now set to be cut significantly, Maresca has used the competition to experiment with a new system.

Against Flamengo he switched to a formation utilising more traditional full-backs and with Cole Palmer playing as an inverted winger, just as he did under previous boss Mauricio Pochettino.

That ended in a disappointing 3-1 defeat and attracted criticism, although they did bounce back with a 4-1 extra-time last-16 success over Benfica using a similar system.

Maresca has also used more of his squad than any other club at the tournament in 27, with every outfield player taken to the US getting some time on the pitch.

New signings Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Dario Essugo and Mamadou Sarr have made their debuts – along with Andrey Santos and Aaron Anselmino, who were already at the club – and some of them have spoken about how the nature of the long overseas trip has helped them assimilate with their new team-mates.

Delap said “100%” when asked about this, adding: “Settling into any new place, it is always helpful spending 24/7 with everyone.

“It has really helped me get to know everyone.”

Forwards Delap and Joao Pedro have both hit the ground running too after their arrivals from Ipswich Town and Brighton.

But the transfer window has been a double-edged sword with Noni Madueke, Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku and Trevoh Chalobah among the players being linked with moves.

Much has been made about the vast riches at the extended Club World Cup – and Chelsea are closing in on the jackpot.

Their semi-final win over Brazilian side Fluminense took their total to about £80m, although Fifa have not confirmed their exact participation fee.

On top of the £21.9m for reaching the final, the Blues will claim another £7.3m if they lift the trophy.

Joao Pedro, a £60m signing from Brighton, repaid about a third of his transfer fee with his two debut goals against Fluminense.

But Chelsea’s total prize money at the tournament will be more than enough to pay for his transfer, with a bit more left over going towards the £30m signing of Delap.

It will also help fund the £29m for Palmeiras winger Estevao Willian – who joins them after the Club World Cup – while £48.5m Jamie Gittens was another expensive arrival.

But before their final group game against ES Tunis, Maresca said: “The owners just want the best for us and for the players game by game, and they are not talking about the final prize or the final reward in terms of money.

Maresca says his players will receive three weeks of holiday after the Club World Cup finishes – and confirmed there will be no trophy parade even if they beat PSG.

Many will jet off to the Caribbean or the west coast of the US on holiday directly from New York after Sunday’s showpiece.

But there will remain questions about the physical cost of this competition, which has led Chelsea to playing 64 matches in a 53-week season.

Essugo, Benoit Badiashile, Romeo Lavia and Moises Caciedo were among those to pick up injuries in the US.

Chelsea, however, had the luxury of being able to heavily rotate their squad in competitions last season.

Chelsea players are expected to have at least one week less holiday than fellow Club World Cup participants Manchester City.

They will face Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan at Stamford Bridge in a mini-tournament on 8 and 10 August.