Owen Hargreaves does not expect Chelsea to win the Premier League title and expects Liverpool and Manchester City to pull away from their rivals at the top of the table.
Chelsea are currently third in the Premier League – two points behind Tottenham and Liverpool – ahead of Saturday evening clash against Leeds United.
Chelsea finished fourth last campaign but appear set for a title charge after a summer window in which they were able to sign Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva.
But former England player Hargreaves believes Chelsea are still a way off any title challenge and claims Liverpool and Man City will soon pull away from their rivals in the race.
When asked whether Chelsea are title contenders this campaign, Hargreaves told Premier League productions: ‘I don’t think so.
‘I like Chelsea and I like what Frank Lampard is building, but I just think Liverpool and Manchester City are above them.
‘I don’t think it will even be close. I think it will be those two first and second and a bunch of other teams after that.
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‘Frank has finally settled on this team but those teams [Liverpool and Man City] have been doing it for years and they both know their best teams.
‘Chelsea are probably the third best team in England but I don’t think they’re good enough or consistent enough to compete with the two teams who have been doing it for far longer and have better players.’
On Saturday evening, Lampard’s side face Leeds United, who are currently 12th in the Premier League.
