Liverpool legend John Barnes has declared that Chelsea will not be contenders for the Premier League title next season despite their impressive early business in the transfer market.
The Blues secured a deal to land Hakim Ziyech from Ajax earlier in the year and have followed that up with the capture of Timo Werner from RB Leipzig.
They will provide a significant boost to Frank Lampard's already talented squad but, despite the new acquisitions, Barnes still believes they will be short of being considered as contenders.
"Well first of all, they’re already thirty-odd points behind the Liverpool. I don't think they're going to close that gap just because they’ve signed Ziyech or Werner," he told BonusCodeBets.
"What will happen is they will become more competitive and being competitive for Chelsea means challenging for the top four spots. I still believe Man City and Liverpool are well clear ahead of everybody else.
"Now of course what you have to do you have to try to improve. And that's what they will do next year by signing players of real quality. I do expect them to make more of a challenge next year, but do I expect them to win the title? No, of course not. They still have a way to go."
Barnes also spoke about how Werner will fit into the side upon his arrival, explaining how he could line-up alongside Tammy Abraham next season.
"Werner is not a classic number-nine. He plays like a Salah, or Mané and comes in from wide positions. He doesn’t have his back to play a whole lot. And isn’t one of those to bring people into play.
"You can see him playing better alongside Tammy Abraham and you may even see Chelsea play more of a 4-3-3 formation with Calum Hudson-Odoi also. You need a big squad, but I don't think that Timo Werner is necessarily coming replace Tammy Abraham."
