Enzo Maresca and Stan Collymore (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images, Daniel Chesterton/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Chelsea are hoping to make it a second title in six weeks when they face PSG in the Club World Cup final this weekend, and fans will hope it is the start of a golden era for the club.
There are some that are backing Enzo Maresca’s side to challenge for the Premier League title as early as next season, and some pundits are also of this opinion. But not everyone is convinced.
Collymore not convinced by Chelsea’s Premier League chances
In his exclusive CaughtOffside column, Stan Collymore gave his thoughts on whether Chelsea can challenge for the Premier League title in 2025-26.
“It’s almost like things have gone in a huge upward trajectory for Chelsea since the second half of the UEFA Conference League final against Real Betis. They won the trophy, so they’ve now got the taste for trophies. The Club World Cup final is going to be a different challenge for them, there’s no doubt about that. I think that PSG most would acknowledge the best 14-15 player team in world football at the moment.
“But looking ahead to next season, I think it’s going to be difficult for Chelsea. The Premier League is the toughest league in the world and they have qualified for the Champions League by right. But I’ve seen a lot of pundits saying that they could win the league. Anything’s possible, but I think that Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City are significant further ahead of Chelsea.
“Going into November, December and January, they will have to rotate players because there’s no way their squad are going to just be able to get two weeks off after this Club World Cup and be fresh for the new season – no matter how many players they buy. Even if you’ve got 50 players and you’re starting to manage people’s minutes and freshness, changing teams often means changing results.”
It remains to be seen how Chelsea get on next season, but for now, supporters are focused on the Club World Cup final.
