Former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has said his former club is not among the contenders for the English Premier League title.
The former Dutch striker stated this despite the summer business done by the Blues which saw them spent over 250m pounds to bring in Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz, and Edouard Mendy.
The Blues also signed former Paris Sainter-Germane captain, Thiago Silva, and Malang Sarr on free transfers.
Hasselbaink, who scored 88 goals for the Blues in 177 appearances during his stint at the Stamford Bridge expressed the belief that the current crop of players at Stamford Bridge is capable of challenging for the Premier League title.
Chelsea lost a golden chance of getting maximum points against Southampton after going three goals up at the Stamford Bridge on Saturday. But the Saints came back to record a 3-3 draw.
This means the Blues can only boast of a 4-0 win over Crystal Palace on the same ground in their last four Premier League outings.
Hasselbaink pin-points vital areas for Lampard
Despite the summer spending, Hasselbaink pointed out that Chelsea’s boss, Frank Lampard must continue to shore up his defence before the Blues can mount a title charge.
Kepa Arrizabalaga has been under immense pressure after some faulty performances. The Spaniard now has the opportunity in between the stick after Mendy, who took over the number one spot from him got injured during the international break.
In comparing Alison Becker of Liverpool to the Chelsea goalie, the former Netherlands striker doesn’t think that the Blues can mount a title challenge with him and some of their central defenders who are error prone.
“No, Chelsea are not contenders [for the title]. They are leaking too many goals. It is a breath of fresh air to see them going forward with the likes of Mason Mount and [Timo] Werner.
“But the defense is a worry, if they cannot improve the center-backs and goalkeeper it is a concern. Alisson wins Liverpool points, but that doesn’t happen with Kepa. Chelsea need to improve in that area,” he told Sky Sports News.”
Chelsea currently occupies the 8th spot on the Premier League table with 8 points from five games. The Blues scored 13 and conceded nine in the process.
Next on Chelsea’s schedule is Champions League engagement. The Blues welcomes Sevilla tonight with the hope of returning to winning ways.
Beating the Europa League winners can be a confidence booster for Lampard’s men who have no problem going forward, but the leaky defense is of high concern.
