Ex-England and Liverpool star John Barnes believes that Chelsea and Tottenham can challenge Manchester City and his former team for the Premier League title this season. It comes ahead of the brand new campaign that begins on Friday when Arsenal kick-off against Crystal Palace.
Both clubs have undergone some big changes heading into it, with hopes that they can go one better than last season, where they finished in the top four. The Blues have made a few additions in the transfer market so far, with Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly moving to Stamford Bridge.
A few exits have occurred, too, most notably club-record signing Romelu Lukaku has left to rejoin Inter Milan on loan for the rest of the season. Despite that, Thomas Tuchel is still expecting plenty more business before the window shuts next month, hoping his squad will be more competitive at the top.
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Tottenham made an unlikely charge towards a Champions League return and rewarded manager Antonio Conte with backing in the transfer market. Six players have made the switch in a statement summer window, with nearly £100million spent on arrivals.
The Italian manager will be hoping his side will be better placed in both squad depth and quality for the upcoming challenge. And that is something former England forward John Barnes believes will be the case.
He claims that both Spurs and Chelsea will challenge the current top two in the new season. Speaking with BonusCodeBets, he said: "I think the teams closest to City and Liverpool are probably Chelsea and Tottenham. Chelsea have recruited well.
"Obviously, Lukaku is now gone, but they've brought in Sterling and some good players. Tottenham have also brought in some good signings. I think those two will get closer to them than last year, although I still think Man City and Liverpool are going to be the top two once again."
It will take time to see whether either team will be able to sustain a push for the Premier League title, however, the additions could make for an exciting race towards the top of the table.
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