Troy Deeney rates Chelsea’s Premier League title chances after Club World Cup triumph

Winner's Portraits - 2025 FIFA Club World Cup
After winning the Club World Cup, can Enzo Maresca guide Chelsea to Premier League glory (Photo: Getty)

Chelsea should be competing for the Premier League title next season and are only ‘two or three signings’ away from winning it.

That is the opinion of former striker Troy Deeney after Chelsea thumped PSG 3-0 on Sunday to win the 2025 Club World Cup.

In the final in New Jersey, the Blues put in perhaps their best performance under Enzo Maresca, with Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and Robert Sanchez the standouts.

Their triumph has raised expectations that the west London club could end their long wait for a Premier League title next season, having last lifted the trophy back in 2017 when Antonio Conte was in the dugout.

Initially, Chelsea kept pace with Liverpool and Arsenal last season, though Maresca repeatedly insisted that they were not in the title race, with his side going on to suffer a big drop in form after Christmas and finishing fourth.

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Deeney believes the Blues need to be confident going into the 2025/26 campaign, telling talkSPORT: ‘My only frustration with Enzo Maresca is he keeps downplaying it. This is an exceptional team, you look at the talent they’ve got on the bench, this is a team that can really compete.

‘They’re probably two or three pieces away. I’d go for a goalkeeper, an experienced centre-half and a full-back. That for me is a perfect team.

Chelsea v Sunderland - Premier League
Chelsea last won the Premier League in 2017 (Photo: Getty)

‘But when you start talking about, “we’re away from getting in the Champions League, that’s a milestone”, I don’t buy it. I think they have to be competing.

‘I’ve got to give them a little bit of grace at the start of the season because we’re three weeks away from the start of the Premier League season. They’ve just finished their last season when Liverpool have just played their first pre-season game.

Liverpool FC v Crystal Palace FC - Premier League
Liverpool are favourites to retain the Premier League next season (Credits: Getty Images)

‘They’re going to have to rest and recover. I think later on in the season this may take a toll but I expect them now to be looking at going deep into the Champions League, can they win the FA Cup and absolutely can they be up there with Arsenal trying to push on with Liverpool.’

Chelsea begin the 2025/26 season at Stamford Bridge with a London derby against Crystal Palace on August 17.

Premier League 2025/26 title odds

Liverpool – 15/8

Arsenal – 9/4

Man City – 11/4

Chelsea – 8/1

Newcastle – 22/1

Man United – 28/1

Tottenham – 50/1

Odds courtesy of Betfair

After watching the Club World Cup final, Real Madrid and Tottenham legend Gareth Bale agreed with Deeney’s prediction.

”I don’t think they are far away at all [from challenging for the Premier League],’ Bale told DAZN.

‘Last season they got to around Christmas and everyone was talking about them being contenders. Obviously they are a young team and they kind of fell off but I think they will learn a lot from that.

‘They have shown character as a team to come back and win the Conference League and now win this. I think confidence will be booming and they will have that self belief now.’

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