Chelsea must be considered Premier League title contenders, says pundit

Former Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips believes the Blues will challenge for the Premier League title next season after signing Hakim Ziyech and agreeing on a deal for Timo Werner. Frank Lampard is hoping to seal a move for RB Leipzig striker Werner after the club agreed to pay the striker’s £54million release clause last week. The business so far has excited Wright-Phillips and the former winger is sure the Blues can push on next season: “I think Lamps has done tremendously there, he’s a great player. He is hungry for goals and it gives Lamps the option there, and with Ziyech in there, Chelsea’s front three is looking very strong. As you can see, he’s having a nice mix of maturity and young talent, and it’s very hard to go wrong with that.” Speaking about Ziyech, Wright-Phillips said: “He brings that attacking flair, he scores goals and he creates goals. We have seen him do it in the Champions League, and now other wingers and other midfielders have to up their game because there is a lot of competition there. Having a lot of players on top of their game can only be a good thing for Lamps for and for Chelsea.” Asked if he sees Chelsea challenging for the title, he added: “Yes, definitely. I think next year if he gets the players that he wants and get his team exactly as he wants it, then 100%. They are still challenging for the Champions League spots now, so it’s only one step further forward, and that is challenging against Man City and Liverpool, who have run away with it this year.” Source: teamtalk