This season, Chelsea secured 4th place in the Premier League and earned a spot in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League, but forecasts suggest that winning the league next season will be challenging.
Danny Murphy (48), an expert from Liverpool, appeared on Britain's TalkSport on the 28th (Korea time) and indicated that Chelsea has slim chances of winning the Premier League in the 2025-2026 season.
Murphy claimed, "Chelsea returned to the Champions League in 4th place. However, with the current squad, winning the Premier League is impossible." Chelsea hasn't won the Premier League since the 2016-2017 season under manager Antonio Conte.
Murphy stated, "Although Enzo Maresca may be an excellent manager, if the club continues with its current recruitment strategy, victory is far-fetched. They must reinforce with 2 to 3 experienced veterans."
Chelsea recorded the youngest average starting lineup (24 years and 36 days) in Premier League history this season. Murphy emphasized, "There is a lot of talent, but this is not a squad to dominate the league."
This summer, Chelsea expanded its investment in promising youngsters by signing three under-20 players: Esteban Wilian (18, Brazil), Dário Esugo (20, Portugal), and Kendry Páez (18, Ecuador). However, Murphy emphasized, "What Chelsea needs now is to enhance its current strength rather than focus on the future."
Murphy's remarks are also valid for Tottenham. Under manager Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham has achieved success in the UEFA Europa League and is returning to the Champions League.
However, they are far from winning the league. With only 38 points and 22 losses in the season, they finished 17th in the league, the lowest rank outside of the relegation zone. This soon led to discussions about the potential dismissal of manager Postecoglou.
Tottenham is also reconstituting the team around young resources. Rather than seeking to acquire big stars or veterans to aim for victory, they appear to be focusing on investments for the future. They are similarly evaluated as being at the same level as Chelsea in terms of squad completeness and experience.
Murphy did not directly mention Tottenham. However, since he pointed out that Chelsea, which secured 4th place and earned a Champions League spot, would find it difficult to win without realistic reinforcement, similar conclusions can be drawn about Tottenham.
Under manager Postecoglou, Tottenham has changed its team color by utilizing young players such as Archie Gray (19), Lucas Bergvall (19), Mikey Moore (18), Wilson Odobert (21), and Mathys Tel (20). This situation is similar to that of Chelsea.
Chelsea has not won the league for 8 years. However, Tottenham has been without a league title for 64 years since 1961. They came close to winning during the 2016-2017 season under Mauricio Pochettino but had to settle for second place behind Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Chelsea is set to face Real Betis (Spain) in the 2024-2025 UEFA Conference League final on the 29th at 4 a.m. in Wrocław, Poland.
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