As Chelsea prepare to head into the 2025-26 season, people are worried about the consequences of their extended last season.
However, the Blues have looked impressive in pre-season so far as they eased to wins against Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan ahead of the new season.
New signings Estevao Willian and Joao Pedro looked impressive as they were on target against the German giants.
Following the game, new Bayer Leverkusen manager Erik Ten Hag spoke highly of Chelsea’s chances of winning the Premier League in the upcoming season, making a bold prediction about them.
While Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has set a target of a top-4 finish for Chelsea this season, the former Manchester United manager believes that the Blues should aim higher.
Erik Ten Hag shared his thoughts about Chelsea’s title credentials after Leverkusen’s game against Chelsea on Friday.
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Erik ten Hag views Chelsea as Premier League title challengers
When asked if Maresca’s side can challenge for the Premier League, Ten Hag said via HaytersTV: “I think so. You always have to see how the season develops. That is a lot about injuries, but they have a big squad.”
“All the teams you see, they invest so much in the Premier League in this transfer window. There are many teams who can in this moment construct a very good team… It’s very difficult to say in this moment who is favourite because I think five or six in this moment are able to win the league.”
While Maresca has set his side the seemingly modest task of finishing in the top-4 next season, there are some, like Ten Hag, who believe that the Blues can go all the way and win the league.
Ultimately, it comes down to self-belief for Chelsea in deciding how far the team can go in the Premier League next season, and it will be interesting to see how much self-belief this young Chelsea team has throughout the Premier League season.
