Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez has identified the five clubs he considers ‘contenders’ for the Premier League crown this year.
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They might have extended that lead, but couldn’t overcome a Chelsea side reduced to ten men, with Mikel Merino equalising after Trevoh Chalobah’s early strike at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea entered the derby in second place but dropped to third following Manchester City’s stoppage-time goal in a thrilling 3-2 victory over Leeds United.
Aston Villa are now level on points with Chelsea, while Brighton and newly-promoted Sunderland occupy European qualification spots ahead of Manchester United and last season’s champions Liverpool.
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Liverpool’s title defence has faltered, with nearly half of their matches ending in defeat, leaving them nine points adrift of the early leaders Arsenal.
Still, Fernandez includes Liverpool among the ‘contenders’ for the title, alongside Chelsea, Arsenal, Man City, and Man United.
‘Of course we are [title contenders],’ the £115m Chelsea star told GiveMeSport.
‘This season, there are many contenders: Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United. All the teams are battling towards the top. There are some very strong Premier League sides.
‘Arsenal have also been doing really well for many years. And Liverpool are a great side. I’m not going to choose one because they’re all good.’
Fernandez remains optimistic that Chelsea can not only compete domestically but also make a deep run in the Champions League.
The Argentina international added: ‘We know the Champions League is very tough.
‘We’ll try to reach the final, which is what we deserve as a club. We’ve been doing well, so we’re capable of being right up there.’
Chelsea’s heavy investment initially seemed to disrupt the squad during the early phase of Todd Boehly’s ownership, but the team has made significant progress over the past year.
After a Conference League triumph, they followed it up with a notable win at the Club World Cup during the summer.
‘When I arrived, there were so many players coming and going,’ Fernandez said on Chelsea’s progress.
‘It was a hard period with so many players in the dressing room. We almost didn’t all fit! I think there were 30 of us or even over 30 players. It was crazy…
‘And there were many manager changes before, in the end, Chelsea went for Enzo Maresca. That’s when the club started to build more solid foundations as a group.
‘We developed our footballing identity, which has been great for the squad. Now you can see how settled we are and what a talented squad we have.
‘We are a really good side and we all get on well on and off the pitch. For the last 18 months to two years, we’ve had such positive feelings here.’
While Arsenal, Chelsea, and Man City appear to be strong title candidates, it’s more difficult to argue the same for Liverpool and Manchester United.
Liverpool, who were expected to challenge again after a big summer of signings, have underperformed under Arne Slot.
They had suffered nine defeats in their previous 12 outings—their worst stretch since 1953—before finally securing a crucial win against West Ham on Sunday.
Manchester United also picked up a win that day, coming from behind to defeat Crystal Palace, though they’ve still failed to secure maximum points in over half of their league fixtures this campaign.
Ruben Amorim’s team has shown signs of improvement, but considering United’s 15th-place finish last season, that’s not a particularly high bar.
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