Former Chelsea defender tips his former club for Premier League relegation battle

Chelsea, a former Premier League powerhouse, are facing predictions of being embroiled in a relegation battle for the upcoming 2024-25 season according to their ex-defender Robert Huth.

The west Londoners have struggled ever since co-owner Todd Boehly arrived at the club in May 2022, when BlueCo took control after Roman Abramovich’s exit.

Chelsea are already on their fourth permanent manager in the BlueCo era after sacking Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter before Mauricio Pochettino’s exit.

The Blues have a new head coach for the 2024-25 campaign – Enzo Maresca – but Huth is not feeling optimistic and thinks Chelsea could be in the ‘bottom five’.

‘I literally have no idea what a good season would be for Chelsea,’ Huth told Ladbrokes. ‘It could be anything; I really have no idea.

‘It could be bottom five, it could be bottom half of the league, but I just can’t see them pushing for the top four.

‘That’s the only thing I’m sure of; there are definitely four better teams than Chelsea in the league right now.

‌’That might have been different if Mauricio Pochettino was still in charge… based on their last 15 games last season, I thought Chelsea were really good.

‘I was excited. I think they won eight or nine of their last 16, and when you finish a season strong like that, you’ve got a spring in your step, you know what you’re working towards, and you’re finally starting to believe in the manager’s work.

‘It would have been a much more realistic target, to reach the top four, if Pochettino was still there. But as for here and now, I don’t know… I really don’t have a clue.

‘First of all, I don’t even know what their starting XI is. That’s one big issue, you know.

‘You’ve got all of those loaned players coming back, too… are they going to be in the squad? Are they going to be shifted out?

‘There are so many unanswered questions for Chelsea and Maresca to solve. Is Enzo Fernandez going to be in the team? How would that affect the other lads?

‌’Honestly, I’ve just got no idea what happens this season; I’ve got a few friends who are Chelsea fans and they’d give you the same answer… they’re just going to see how it goes. Give it five or six games, and see where they’re at.’