Chelsea told four signings they must make to win Premier League title

Jamie Carragher has named the transfers Chelsea need to make if they are to win the Premier League title once again.

Chelsea appeared to be in the title race earlier in the season, though their unconvincing form in recent months has seen them fall behind Liverpool, Arsenal and even Nottingham Forest. Manager Enzo Maresca is not overly worried about the slide as he never believed his team was firmly in the mix.

“We are ahead of our expectation in terms of the way we are playing and points,” he said in December. “For us, the main focus is to see how we can improve the players and how we can improve the team.

“It’s the reality for me, not about the pressure (of going for the title). I would like that kind of pressure. I say we are not there because that is the reality for me. The main point is to continue to improve and to win games.”

Chelsea do have some of the best players in the Premier League in their team, including Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto and Moises Caicedo. However, former Liverpool defender Carragher thinks they need to sign a goalkeeper, striker and two new centre-backs to makes themselves serious title challengers.

When asked about Chelsea’s season so far on The Overlap US, Carragher said: “The project looked like it was on track, results were going well.

“There was a game where they could have gone top of the league. It looked like it was falling into place and I thought they could make it a three-horse race for the title with Liverpool and Arsenal.

“But I’ve got to say I’ve been really disappointed with them. I never thought they could win the league at any stage because of the goalkeeper and the centre-forward, they’re not at the level. The centre-backs are not at the level either.

“But this drop-off will be a real worry for the people at the top of the club. If they don’t get Champions League football next season, having been there for a couple of years and spent that amount of money, that’s a disaster.

“They went out of the Carabao Cup really early, now they’re out of the FA Cup.

“You have to remember Chelsea have been a winning machine for about 20 years. They’ve not gone two or three years without a trophy and the supporters aren’t used to it.

“I think real questions will be asked of the hierarchy if they don’t get Champions League football because you can’t really accept it.”

Chelsea to go on another spending spree?

Chelsea are still in a good position to qualify for the Champions League, as they sit in fourth spot, four points behind third-placed Forest.

Although, Chelsea’s top-four hopes could be affected by how Manchester City end the campaign. Pep Guardiola’s side are only two points behind Chelsea, and they certainly have the ability to go on a sensational winning run.

Further back, Newcastle United and Bournemouth are lurking as they have both enjoyed great seasons.

Chelsea have been strongly linked with Victor Osimhen as a replacement for Nicolas Jackson, while Blues fans would likely be happy to see a new goalkeeper join and replace the unreliable Robert Sanchez.

Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana are both top young centre-backs, but the latter is injury-prone and may have to be replaced.

Stamford Bridge chiefs have money to play with this summer as they did not sign any expensive stars during the winter window.

READ MORE: Chelsea draw up ‘€70m offer’ for Atletico Madrid star facing ‘pivotal’ transfer window

Chelsea transfers: Real Sancho thoughts; deal confirmed

Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano has stated that Chelsea remain ‘very happy’ with the signing of Jadon Sancho despite the criticism he has faced in recent weeks.

Romano also confirmed that Chelsea will pay a final fee of £22-25m for Sancho this summer, depending on how high they finish in the league.

16-year-old striker Dastan Satpaev could end up playing alongside Sancho in the future.

Kazakh club Kairat Almaty have announced that Satpaev will join Chelsea when he turns 18 in a deal understood to be worth £3.3m.

QUIZ – higher or lower?