CHELSEA legend Petr Cech reckons his former club won’t be able to challenge for the Premier League title for at least another two years.
The Blues are without a Prem crown since 2017 when they last won it under Antonio Conte, with Manchester City and Liverpool the only champions since.
Co-owner Todd Boehly hoped to get the West Londoners back on top after buying the club from Roman Abramovich in the summer of 2022, and has since spent over £1billion in transfers alone.
However, Boehly saw his team finish 12th during his debut campaign – and things have barely improved this season with Mauricio Pochettino’s men still languishing in 10th.
Nevertheless, Cech, who was the club’s technical and performance adviser for three years until his departure shortly before the American chairman’s arrival, is confident there is light at the end of the tunnel for Chelsea.
But he admits it will take some time, and the legendary goalkeeper believes things won’t start to change until the 2025-26 season.
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And much will depend on how Pochettino’s players fare this campaign in the rest of this term, as a strong finish could work as fuel for next term where a top-four bid would be more realistic for the young and inexperienced side.
Cech told Sky Sports: “If you speak about a league title, this season is not going they way they wished for.
“If they can have a really good strong end of the season and build up for the next season, maybe that’s the season where Chelsea can climb up the table, challenging for top four.
“The season after, is the first realistic year for Chelsea to challenge for the title.
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“The takeover itself is a big change. You have a new owner with a new vision, a new style, a new way they want the club to be run.
“That takes some adaptation, it includes the players and everybody working for the club. These things take time.
“The team was built a certain way but since I’ve left, there was a complete remake of the squad and it’s challenging for everybody when you have a lot of changes.
“Some of the players probably came in with huge expectations, with a lot of money being spent of them, which creates even more pressure.
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“When the results aren’t there, this squad is really young and I think they sometimes find it hard to live up to those expectations.
“Looking at the games over the last month, you don’t see the spine or the core of the team.
“The goalkeeper has been changing, the defence has been changing, the midfield and attacking players are changing too.
“That shows there is a lot of potential, but the coaches haven’t found the right formula yet to find the core.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
