\n<\/p>\n
Guardian writers\u2019 predicted position:<\/strong> 4th (NB: this is not necessarily Michael Butler\u2019s prediction but the average of our writers\u2019 tips)<\/p>\n Last season\u2019s position:<\/strong> 4th<\/p>\n Chelsea kits<\/p>\n Securing Champions League qualification on the last day of the Premier League season and an unlikely Club World Cup triumph have transformed the club, their finances and ambitions for 2025-26. Chelsea stayed relatively under the radar for much of the Club World Cup \u2013 in part because of their relatively kind route to the later stages \u2013 but their commanding 3-0 victory against Paris Saint-Germain in the final means they are again regarded as a potentially dominant European force and perhaps even as contenders for the Premier League title.<\/p>\n That is if Chelsea are ready \u2013 mentally, physically and tactically \u2013 for the new season. By the time Chelsea played the Club World Cup final on 13 July, nearly every other Premier League side had started their pre-season. Since then, while Liverpool, Arsenal and co have been hard at work, the players have had three weeks off and returned on Monday, with two friendly matches, two days apart, scheduled before their Premier League opener against Crystal Palace on 17 August. To say Chelsea are playing catch-up is a severe understatement.<\/p>\n That said, this is probably the most exciting period for Chelsea since the Champions League triumph in 2021. With the exception of goalkeeper and possibly centre-back, Enzo Maresca has a claim to having two elite players in every position and he could yet add further depth with Xavi Simons and Alejandro Garnacho heavily linked. Departures will be needed to trim the fat and balance the books \u2013 Chelsea were given a \u20ac31m (\u00a327m) fine last month by Uefa for breaking financial rules \u2013 but few would argue against them having the deepest squad in the league and one of Maresca\u2019s biggest challenges will be maintaining harmony and continuity, on and off the pitch. Last season, the Conference League was a useful chance to rest and rotate players. The Champions League will not be so accommodating.<\/p>\n Past five seasons<\/p>\n As recently as April, Maresca was at odds with the Chelsea fans and appeared to blame a negative environment at Stamford Bridge for a 2-2 home draw with Ipswich that left top-five hopes fading fast. But five wins from the final six league games secured fourth place, saving Chelsea\u2019s season and possibly Maresca\u2019s job. \u201cThey were saying that we are too young, we are not good enough,\u201d he said. \u201cUnfortunately for them, they have all been wrong. So in English, how do you say? Eff-off to all of them.\u201d Chelsea\u2019s Club World Cup triumph \u2013 and the tactical masterclass by Maresca in the final to neutralise PSG\u2019s front three and create pockets of space for Cole Palmer \u2013 means he will get a very different reception at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea\u2019s league opener.<\/p>\n <\/span>The Chelsea head coach, Enzo Maresca, will be a more popular man when he returns to Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend.<\/span> Photograph: Darren Walsh\/Chelsea FC\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Chelsea\u2019s much-maligned financial gymnastics of recent years \u2013 the eight-year contract amortisation (a loophole closed by Uefa), the sale of their hugely successful women\u2019s team (to their own parent company) and their rampant use of multiclub ownership and the loan system \u2013 have infuriated rivals and allowed them to assemble one of the deepest, youngest, most talented squads around. In the Todd Boehly era, Chelsea have spent more than \u00a31.5bn and the club face an additional \u20ac60m fine from Uefa if they fail to comply with regulations over the next four years. A bigger stadium would help, but what Chelsea do with Stamford Bridge remains unclear; the 40,044-capacity ground is not easily developed given challenges ranging from the freehold to a nearby railway line. A move to Earl\u2019s Court has been mooted.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Sign up to Football Daily<\/span><\/p>\n Kick off your evenings with the Guardian’s take on the world of football<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.<\/span><\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Last season<\/p>\n Est\u00eav\u00e3o was courted by PSG, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich and is widely regarded as the biggest talent to come out of Brazil since Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior. The 18-year-old\u2019s performances at the Club World Cup \u2013 including a brilliant strike for Palmeiras against Chelsea in the quarter-final \u2013 suggests that the summer arrival is already world class. Players swooned over the teenager at the final whistle in Philadelphia \u2013 \u201cI told Est\u00eav\u00e3o: \u2018We are excited for you to join\u2019 but he didn\u2019t understand a single word I said,\u201d Palmer said after swapping shirts with the \u00a352m signing. Capable off both wings or as a No 10, the slender Est\u00eav\u00e3o will want to impress the former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti, now of Brazil, before the World Cup next summer.<\/p>\n \u201cHe potentially can be a top defender for this club,\u201d Maresca said of Josh Acheampong after the defender\u2019s performances at the Club World Cup prompted whispers that several clubs in England and Europe were tracking the teenager. How the 19-year-old fits into Maresca\u2019s plans remains to be seen, but his versatility, 6ft 3in stature and composure enabled him to enjoy a breakthrough year with 13 first-team appearances. Naturally a right-back or a centre-back but capable of playing anywhere across the backline, Acheampong joined Chelsea as an under-eight and signed a new five-year contract in 2024. \u201cThe clubs that were mentioned, they like Josh, but we also like Josh,\u201d Maresca said. \u201cThe best plan for Josh is to be with us.\u201d<\/p>\n Rom\u00e9o Lavia. The 21-year-old\u2019s quality is not in question. Chelsea are a better side with Lavia, more fluid and press-resistant, and he was sensational in a 3-1 win against Liverpool in May when he completed 100% of his passes. Maresca even moved Mois\u00e9s Caicedo to right-back to accommodate Lavia alongside Enzo Fern\u00e1ndez at the back end of last season, but concerns remain over the Belgian\u2019s fitness. After a first year when he managed 32 minutes in 2023-24, another injury-hit campaign followed, starting 11 league games. Another year on the sidelines could spell trouble, particularly as Chelsea have Caicedo, Fern\u00e1ndez, D\u00e1rio Essugo, the impressive Andrey Santos and perhaps Reece James competing for two spots in defensive midfield in Maresca\u2019s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Guardian writers\u2019 predicted position: 4th (NB: this is not necessarily Michael Butler\u2019s prediction but the average of our writers\u2019 tips) Last season\u2019s position: 4th Chelsea kits Prospects Securing Champions League qualification on the last day of the Premier League season and an unlikely Club World Cup triumph have transformed the club, their finances and ambitions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14399,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[2860,3504,1706,3025],"class_list":{"0":"post-14398","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-chelsea","9":"tag-league","10":"tag-premier","11":"tag-preview"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14398"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14398\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Prospects<\/h2>\n
The manager<\/h2>\n
Off-field picture<\/h2>\n
Star signing<\/h2>\n
Stepping up<\/h2>\n
A big season for \u2026<\/h2>\n