Chelsea’s Premier League title odds have improved after two marquee signings in the past week. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
Climb the ranks
Todd Boyle’s Chelsea revolt remains steaming after last week’s £174m ($221.6m) spending spree, the result of which shortened the Blues’ odds of winning the Premier League (EPL) title.
The club is virtually unrecognizable from what it was 15 months ago
Boehly and Clearlake Capital have now invested £852.2m ($1.085bn) in player transfers alone in just one year (and three transfer window). There are only three players left from the starting line-up that won the 2021 Champions League final, and the club is virtually unrecognizable from what it was 15 months ago.
Any team that would spend such an exorbitant amount of money would face the sword if it did not achieve success sooner or later. But how much will the newcomers affect Chelsea’s title odds, and what are their chances of mounting a real challenge? lets take alook.
Chelsea Premier League odds are increasing
This week Chelsea poured money into two talented young midfielders, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lafia.
Caicedo impressed massively by being a pivotal cog in Brighton’s club-record sixth-place finish last season. He and Chelsea had been chatting for months but could not agree anything until Liverpool put up a surprise £111m ($141.4m) bid, forcing the Blues to act quickly. The resulting price set a British record for the largest transfer payment, surpassing the £107m ($136.3m) the Blues spent on World Cup winner Enzo Fernandes in January.
The Lafia deal was finalized a few days later and came as a much bigger surprise. Many thought Chelsea would target other areas of their squad, such as the striker or goalkeeper, once they landed Caicedo, but they went for the 19-year-old Belgian who has also been linked with Liverpool. Joe Shields, co-director of recruitment and talent at Chelsea, was responsible for bringing Lafia to Southampton (his previous employer) and engineered the move.
Only Thiago Silva and vice-captain Ben Chilwell would make it to the club before Bohle’s takeover
If the Blues join Caicedo and Lavia in midfield and their strongest support team (with the exception of captain Rhys James, who was injured in training this week), only Thiago Silva and vice-captain Ben Chilwell will get He reached the club before the Boehly takeover. Silva could also be sacrificed for Axel Disasi, who arrived from Monaco last week and scored on his debut against Liverpool.
Although the average age of the squad is incredibly low for a top-level club, Mauricio Pochettino is now under enormous pressure to develop players and have them vying for a Champions League spot. If he fails, he could be the fifth manager to get the podium from the aspiring monarchy.
Updates at the top
Going into the Week 1 game, Chelsea were in fifth place likely to win the Premier League title at +1600. Despite a 1-1 draw against Liverpool in the opening game and several teams below them moving up the table, Chelsea are now up to +1300 to win the Premier League title, although they are still in fifth place.
The full list of odds (provided by FanDuel sports website) is as follows.
- Man City (-160)
- (+470) Arsenal
- (+900) Man United
- (+1000) Liverpool
- (+1300) Chelsea
- (+1600) Newcastle
- (+6,500) Tottenham
- (+6,500) Brighton
- Aston Villa (+1000)
- (+43,000) Nottingham Forest
- Crystal Palace (+43,000)
- (+43,000) Fulham
- (+43,000) Bournemouth
- Wolves (+43,000)
- (+43,000) West Ham
- (+43,000) Brentford
- (+43,000) Burnley
- (+43,000) Sheffield United
- (+43,000) Luton
- (+43,000) Everton
Most of the clubs near the top of the board that aren’t Chelsea have changed little in contrasts since before the league kicked off last weekend. Man City went from -140 to -160, Arsenal moved from +500 to +470, Man United stood as usual, and Newcastle shortened from +1800 to +1600.
But Liverpool was an exception. The Reds dropped from +650 at the start of August to +1000 due to missing their most important midfield goal. They signed 30-year-old Wataru Endo from VfB Stuttgart for £16.3m ($20.7m), though that was emergency backup for Caicedo and Lafia.
Chelsea have a chance to validate their Premier League title odds when they take on West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday. Caicedo and Lavia are both registered and will be available for selection.
