Last season was one to forget for Chelsea.
A campaign that showed early promise quickly unravelled, leaving Xabi Alonso with plenty to fix after taking charge this summer. But with a talented squad, some eye-catching additions and no European football, there is reason for renewed optimism at Stamford Bridge.
Can Alonso turn Chelsea back into Champions League contenders? ESPN makes its predictions for the 2026-27 season.
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Top scorer
João Pedro. He had a superb debut season in blue and with a better supporting cast around him this season can maintain his numbers. With Cole Palmer potentially back to his best, Estêvão back to full fitness and Morgan Rogers in the mix as well, there should be plenty of creativity and good link-up play. Pedro will also be eager to prove a point to Carlo Ancelotti after missing out on Brazil's World Cup squad.
Breakout player
Estêvão. Everyone has seen his quality already but an injury and precautionary measures have halted his game time. Should be a regular starter and at his best could be one of the top wingers in the Premier League. A headache for left-backs, and then some.
Who is it a make or break season for?
Romeo Lavia played his first 90 minutes in three years in preseason. He almost feels like a new signing, yet Chelsea signed him three years ago.
The midfielder made just one single appearance in his debut season, with his 'best' season seeing him make 16 appearances the following year. He can't help being injury prone but it's difficult to stay patient waiting for a player who has potential but hasn't proved and shown it on a consistent basis. The idea of Lavia is better than the reality and he wasn't exactly a cheap signing, either.
If he doesn't manage to stay fit this season and make a clear impact, then Chelsea should move on. That said, if he can stay fit it feels like Alonso can unlock the best version of him as he does offer depth and is a profile of player Chelsea don't have another of. Too many 'what ifs,' though.
What would be a success?
Securing Champions League qualification is a must and would be a success, as would winning a domestic cup.
Even in their worst seasons Chelsea have somehow managed to get to finals at Wembley, so getting there isn't impossible, but coaching a win is a different story. Would be a big boost in morale for a group of players who haven't won much silverware, or any.
Biggest concern?
Can I pick two? First, there's consistency. Chelsea have shown flashes of quality and put together decent mini runs in the last few seasons but just can't seem to escape a midseason slump. They were second behind leaders Arsenal in November, and fell off a cliff after that. The season was basically over in January.
Under Alonso, Chelsea need to find a way to get over the line even with poor performances in games and actually build on big wins so they mean something. Chelsea have secured big wins in isolation, but staying consistent and going on a winning run is far more impressive and the next step to take.
Then there's the goalkeeper situation. Robert Sánchez has had good moments as a shot-stopper and has bailed Chelsea at times, but is just not a top keeper. He's too unreliable over 38 Premier League games, and he makes the defence nervous with some of his actions, too.
Compare him to Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool's No. 1s, and it's clear an upgrade is needed.
Prediction
Third. Chelsea have the quality, the players and, crucially, no European football to contend with -- a significant advantage over their top-four rivals. That should allow full focus on the Premier League under arguably the most promising manager of the club's new ownership era.
They should also be better equipped to take points off the likes of Arsenal, City and Liverpool -- something they have struggled to do in recent years and which has separated Chelsea from the league's best.