Chelsea legend Michael Essien has named the four teams he expects to be in the Premier League title race next season.
Essien, speaking exclusively to Ladbrokes at its launch of the 5-A-Side Bet on Chelsea v Leicester, believes his old club will take the title off Manchester City next term, despite Pep Guardiola’s side just being crowned champions last night.
The former Ghana international also expects City to still be one of the main contenders for the trophy, along with Manchester United and Liverpool.
The Reds ran away with the title last term, but weren’t really one of the main teams in the race this year, with their place in the top four now even in some doubt.
Still, Essien thinks Liverpool will be one of the teams in contention next year, even if he currently thinks Chelsea look in the best shape to finish the season as champions for the first time since 2016/17.
“I’m going to say Chelsea win the league next season, based on how good they’ve looked since Thomas Tuchel has taken over,” Essien said.
“They’re my first choice for the title, then it’s obviously going to be Man United, Liverpool and Man City who will be right up there with them.
“With the players Thomas Tuchel has got at his disposal, I think he’s got all the tools needed to challenge for the title next season.
“If you look from the goalkeepers to the forwards, they’ve got big names all over the pitch. They’ve got it all.”