Jamie Carragher and Jamie Redknapp disagree slightly on their stance about Chelsea and where they are at ahead of the Tottenham Super Sunday clash in the Premier League.
Since Roman Abramovich was forced out of the club last season by the UK Government due to his supposed links to Russia's Vladimir Putin, something he continues to deny, many assumed Chelsea under new owners would certainly fall off in some way from the many trophies won under the oligarch in his 19-year spell. However, the new ownership consortium structure run by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital are out there to try and prove this perception wrong. The £170million plus spent so far which should rise over the £300m mark by the September deadline is just one way they are looking to do this.
Frenkie de Jong, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Wesley Fofana are next in line as the Blues remained locked in the talks for the trio. If all three are signed and that's a big if at this stage, Redknapp backs Chelsea for top four. "Chelsea have taken quite a bit of stick, but Kalidou Koulibaly has been a good signing, they're trying to get Wesley Fofana and I wouldn't be surprised if they get him," he wrote in his Sky Sports column this week. "They spent big money on Marc Cucurella - too much in my opinion but he's still a really, really good player.
READ MORE: Antonio Conte has already questioned Chelsea ahead of Tottenham's big Premier League test
"Raheem Sterling in any market is a brilliant signing. They miss a No 9 but there's talk about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang coming in and Frenkie de Jong - who they are interested in signing from Barcelona - is one of the best midfield players in the world.
"If they get Fofana, Aubameyang and De Jong, they're guaranteeing Champions League football with that."
The 'if' sentiment alludes to the fact that Redknapp doesn't believe in their current state that Thomas Tuchel's side are credible candidates for a top-four finish. Instead just like many other pundits this term, they. have backed Tottenham and Antonio Conte for greater success, something which the Italian has warned against at this early stage.
"But I think you forgot Chelsea. This is a big, big mistake. You are talking about a team who two seasons ago won the Champions League," the Italian boss said in his pre-match press conference ahead of the first Southampton game. "
"It is a really big squad, last season they won the World Cup for clubs. Why is Chelsea not in this group of top teams? For me Chelsea are in this group and they want to stay there and they deserve to be considered in this position."
Despite Redknapp waxing lyrical about Tottenham and their uprising under Conte in the same interview, Carragher has contradicted his view by offering a more realistic take about where he thinks the Lilywhites are at this current moment.
He has rubbished any power shift talk in London which will be something that will delight both Chelsea and Arsenal fans. "If I was associated with Chelsea — the reigning club world champions, remember — I would treat these predictions of a London power shift with a sneer," he wrote in his latest Telegraph column. "The “new” Spurs have not done anything yet, despite the hype this summer."
Chelsea and Tottenham fans- what do you make of Jamie Carragher's and Jamie Redknapp's views of the two London clubs? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
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