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Stan Collymore does not see Chelsea as title contenders for the 2025-26 Premier League season. He believes that Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City will be the ones battling at the top.
In his CaughtOffside column, Collymore claimed that Chelsea will have to change the starting XI often as players will be feeling the aftereffects of the long season. He disagrees with pundits who have already named Enzo Maresca's side as title contenders, arguing they will struggle to maintain their current level. He wrote:
"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, Manchester City are significantly further ahead of Chelsea."
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"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."
The Blues are yet to finish their 2024-25 season, while several Premier League sides have started their pre-season. Liverpool will be playing their first pre-season match just hours before Maresca's side plays their final game of the season. They will compete in the FIFA Club World Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday, July 13.
Alan Shearer names Chelsea as Premier League title contenders
Alan Shearer was on The Rest Is Football podcast earlier this month when he backed Chelsea to challenge for the Premier League title in the 2025-26 season. He said that they have made smart signings and the squad is ready to battle, and said (via METRO):
"I do, yeah. I don't think they're finished in terms of their transfer business. I think there will be more come in and go out as well. Yeah, I do. I think they've been very smart in who they are signing and they've made some clever ones and I think there will be more. So I think they will [challenge for the Premier League], absolutely. They'll build on what they've achieved this season, Conference League, qualifying for the Champions League and they'll go again."
Enzo Maresca's side finished fourth in the Premier League last season, just five points behind second-placed Arsenal. They also won the UEFA Europa Conference League and are in the FIFA Club World Cup final.
