There was a point in Chelsea's 2024-25 season where manager Enzo Maresca looked to be teetering on the brink. Towards the end of the campaign, fans weren't happy with the Italian's timid style of play and they were in danger of missing out on Champions League football. How things have changed since then.
The Blues enjoyed a strong finish to the season as they won five of their last six matches to ensure they came fourth. Then Maresca rounded things off by winning the UEFA Conference League.
And if that wasn't enough, they went on to be crowned world champions by winning the new-look Club World Cup in the U.S., thumping Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final. Suddenly, the sky seems like the limit for the Blues.
They've pocketed an eye-watering prize of around £97m for winning the competition and put it to good use by making a total of eight signings, including a handful that could have a real impact on the first team.
It's been a turbulent few years for the club, who have been through six managers since American owner Todd Boehly succeeded the popular Roman Abramovich at Stamford Bridge, but they finally look to have found their footing with Maresca.
The Italian is a disciple of Pep Guardiola's and he has certainly followed his blueprint in terms of playing intricate passing football, as well as backing it up by winning silverware.
Chelsea have a real shot of challenging high up the table, especially after spending well with a handful of impressive new recruits, with even more possibly on the way -- though Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City will give them stiff competition.
Chelsea are in strange territory because they clearly have a long-term plan. You only need to see the seven and eight-year deals they hand every signing. Maresca said last season he was not expected to deliver Champions League football last season and he did it. That means they're ahead of schedule.
Winning two trophies in the same season on top of that wasn't in the script either, and the Italian may have inadvertently increased the expectations for himself. Finishing in the top four (or five if that's still enough for a Champions League place) will certainly be the minimum expectation for Chelsea now, anything less will be considered a disappointment.
Chelsea will also want to continue their momentum by delivering another trophy to add to their ever-growing trophy cabinet. The club's social media channels proudly declared: "We've won it all" after they clinched the Club World Cup, but that doesn't mean they'll be satisfied to stop here.
So a realistic expectation for Maresca's Chelsea this season would be top four/five and a trophy to boot, though lifting the Premier League and Champions League might be a little bit too ambitious. Winning either the Carabao Cup or FA Cup is much more feasible.
The key for Chelsea will be finding some consistency. Last season they dropped too many previous points against teams in the bottom of the table.
Fans were fuming over relegated Ipswich getting four points against them this season, while they were also beaten at home by Fulham. Getting better results at Stamford Bridge will be a priority after they dropped points in a total of eight matches at home last season.
Chelsea have the fourth-shortest odds to win the Premier League with Betfair this season after being given odds of 9/4. That shows the uphill task the Blues face to keep pace with the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City.
They have been given odds of 3/1 to finish in the top two, while they are at 4/7 to finish in the top four this season. Finishing in the top five is much shorter at 2/7.
Chelsea have been given odds of 2/1 to win any of the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup or League Cup and 40/1 to win any of the two cups other than the league title.
Chelsea have shown they mean business in this window and their dealings could even put them in title contention. There's no doubt about the club's ambitions after making eight transfers this summer -- with a focus on youth.
Their oldest signing so far is 23-year-old João Pedro from Brighton, who arrived for a £60m fee. He already scored three crucial goals for Chelsea in the Club World Cup, two in the semi and one in the final. The Brazilian scored 10 goals and grabbed six assists in the Premier League last season and should be a valuable addition in attack.
He's not the only attacking star that's arrived. Liam Delap joined in a £30m deal from Ipswich and will add to their options up front alongside the likes of Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku.
Maresca has also been bolstered with additions of wingers Jamie Gittens from Dortmund -- costing around £53m -- and 18-year-old Brazilian prodigy Estêvão, who is being tipped to achieve huge things.
New centre-back Jorrel Hato, who is just 19, has also arrived to give the team more options in defence, which should be useful considering how injury prone Wesley Fofana has been.
He's not the only youngster to join the Blues this summer. Midfielder Dário Essugo has joined from Sporting Lisbon for around £18.5m while they have also signed 18-year-old Kendry Páez from Independiente del Valle in Ecuador and Mamadou Sarr from Strasbourg, but he has gone back to the club on loan.
Chelsea have been enjoying a three-week break since their Club World Cup triumph but are now preparing for an opening Premier League clash at home to Crystal Palace on August 17.
They'll then travel to West Ham on August 22 before welcoming Fulham at home on the 30th, with a trip to Brentford after the international break on September 13 to make it four London derbies to open the season.
Their first big test comes against Manchester United away on September 20 before facing Liverpool at home on October 4.
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