Chelsea- Finished 4th in 2020/2021 Season on 67 points.
European glory sustained the hype around this Chelsea squad last season. Their results under Lampard stuttered but swiftly took consistency under the renowned Thomas Tuchel. He has made this youthful Chelsea side an organized unit, built to frustrate and score on the transition. Tuchel repaired Chelsea's cracks last season and with a full season under his helm, fans can be truly excited for a new era at the club. To further impose this expectation, Chelsea have brought Romelu Lukaku back to the club, 7 years after he left to embark on a journey to establishing himself as a world class center-forward. Since leaving the club, Lukaku has scored 160 goals in 314 games, notching a consistent 75 in his last 138 in a period deemed the prime of his career. Lukaku is also clinical for Belgium, and his addition to Tuchel's side will be concernedly viewed by the rest of the 'Big Six'. Lukaku's willingness to leave Inter Milan, who had just won the Serie A title, emphasizes the attraction Chelsea have gained from last year's triumph in Europe, an accolade Lukaku has always wanted to fulfill in his career. When Chelsea last won the Champions League in 2012, a young Lukaku stated, "I don't deserve it because I was not on the list".(Het Nieuwsblad). Lukaku might feel he has unfinished business with Chelsea and his return could be more personal than we perceive. His renowned hunger, attitude and professionalism suggests this is a possibility, but nonetheless his arrival at the Bridge is not a 'risk' like Timo Werner was, it's an immediate 20-30 extra goals a season. Chelsea have also looked to further strengthen at the back, with the signing of Sevilla's Jules Kounde a commonly reported deal in the news. The deal has incurred some issues so it's completion is still a ways off, but on a positive note, Chelsea fans might have noticed they have a very intriguing prospect coming through their ranks. Trevoh Chalobah started at center-back for Chelsea in their win over Villarreal in Wednesday's Super Cup final and he had a stellar game, resisting a string of chances from Villarreal during periods of the game. After his performance, Tuchel explained "Chalobah has "forced" his way into his first-team plans and even confirmed he is "ready" for the Premier League", (Irish Mirror). Chelsea have an aura of expectation looming over them this year and many pundits and experts have tipped them to go all the way, but it will be interesting to see given the pedigree of City, Liverpool and United. The big games will be so pivotal this season amongst those teams and out of the four, Chelsea significantly displayed their grit in the big games, specifically in the Champions League. It is important to remember, this is based on form over the last year, Liverpool and City have embedded their authority in the crunch fixtures during their successes too, but Chelsea, along with United, have become intruders on the recent two-horse in the league and offer a serious title charge going forward.
MAJOR TRANSFERS- (subject to change).
IN- Romelu Lukaku- (Inter Milan, £97.5 million).
Marcus Bettinelli- (Fulham, free).
OUT- Willy Caballero- (released).
Olivier Giroud- (AC Milan, £855,000).
Fikayo Tomori- (AC Milan, £25 million).
Billy Gilmour (Norwich, loan).
Victor Moses (Spartak Moscow, undisclosed fee).
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