The Sky Sports pundit thinks the Blues will be in the running for the league title this season. However, he believes they will eventually fall short due to the absence of a replacement for Zouma and Thomas Tuchel’s tendency to play with three defenders. He said:
Chelsea allowed Kurt Zouma to leave Stamford Bridge in the hopes of signing Sevilla defender Jules Kounde. However, the deal failed to materialize on deadline day as Sevilla weren’t keen on negotiating a deal with the Blues. The European champions are now dependent on Trevor Chalobah to come good.
Paul Merson believes it will be hard for Chelsea to cope in the absence of Zouma:
Chelsea managed to bring reinforcements in other areas
Despite not signing a new defender, Chelsea did manage to bring the necessary reinforcements in midfield and in attack. The Champions League holders have signed Romelu Lukaku from Serie A champions Inter Milan in a deal worth £97.5 million, making him the Blues’ most expensive arrival.
Lukaku has already looked at home in the opening couple of games. The 28-year-old scored a goal on his debut against Arsenal and enjoyed a decent game against Liverpool a week later.
In addition to Lukaku, Chelsea also managed to bring Spain international Saul Niguez on loan from Atletico Madrid, with an option to make the move permanent next summer.
Chelsea have, so far, made a good start to their new Premier League campaign, picking up seven points from their first three games. The Blues will next face Aston Villa on the 11th of September after the international break.
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