Arne Slot Delivers Verdict on Chelsea's Premier League Title Ambitions for 2025-26
Arne Slot, Liverpool's head coach, has expressed confidence that Chelsea will be genuine contenders for the Premier League championship this season, stating he believed the West London club possessed the quality to mount a challenge in the previous campaign as well.
Chelsea looked like potential title challengers during the opening months of the 2024–25 season before experiencing a damaging decline in results that left them battling for Champions League qualification, though confidence has returned to Stamford Bridge following a successful summer that culminated in Enzo Maresca's team claiming the Club World Cup trophy.
Although Slot acknowledges Liverpool enter as defending champions and title favorites, the Dutch manager expects Chelsea to emerge as serious competitors at the summit of English football.
"I anticipated they would triumph last season," Slot revealed to talkSPORT. "Given the talent at their disposal and their strong start to the campaign. They remained in contention after 10 matches. They were still competitive [in December].
"Their squad depth, individual quality, plus they possess an excellent head coach, and I believe they demonstrated this through the silverware they secured last season.
"It benefited us that they also experienced difficulties during certain periods last season, which prevented them from sustaining their title challenge until the final stages.
"However, they're now reinforcing their roster once more, making them, in my view, among the teams that will compete for the league championship."
While Maresca prepared Chelsea for their Premier League season opener against Crystal Palace on Sunday, the Italian manager dismissed Slot's remarks and emphasized his sole concentration remains on elevating his team's performance beyond last season's achievements.
"I don't focus on external opinions regarding our club," Maresca responded. "It's also straightforward to suggest multiple teams are contenders. I prefer not to engage in such discussions.
"My preference is concentrating on the players, working toward improvement, and regarding what others express, they're entitled to their views."