Chelsea

Who are Chelsea?

Chelsea are an English football club based in London. The club were founded in 1905 by an English businessman Gus Mears.

Chelsea would swiftly prove to be a hit with the local fans and established themselves as the biggest club in the city.

In the late 1910s, the Blues became the first in Britain, with an average attendance of more than 40,000.

Yet, the first 50 years of the club’s existence weren’t overly fruitful. They’d be in constant motion between Division 1 and Division 2.

In Chelsea’s second decade of existence, however, the club managed to reach the FA Cup final for the very first time.

Their first League title back in 1955 was a surprise for everyone, especially considering the Blues had finished in the bottom half of the division for most of the previous seasons.

The mid-60s caught the team at the height of their popularity, with many eye-catching celebrities becoming regular guests at Stamford Bridge.

For the very first time in their history, Chelsea were seen as an actual contender.

After clinching their first League Cup in 1965, they followed it up with two more “firsts” by lifting an FA Cup in 1970 and a Cup Winners’ Cup trophies in 1971.

Until 1996, the club experienced difficulties in dealing with financial and managerial situations. Chelsea did enjoy some Cup success with two FA Cup wins in 1997 and 2000 and a League Cup triumph back in 1998.

To top it off, the side also claimed their second Cup Winners’ Cup during the same year by defeating Stuttgart 1-0 in the final.

In 2003, the club’s landscape changed forever when the club were sold to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.

They won back-to-back PL titles in 2005 and 2006, as well as an FA Cup in 2007 and two League Cups in 2005 and 2007.

Chelsea managing to be a dominant force in English football, claiming one more league title, two FA Cups, a UEFA Champions League and a UEFA Europa League in the next six seasons.

What are the predictions for next season?

They made remarkable work of the last few weeks of the campaign, but Chelsea’s nervy fight for a Top 4 finish will be a distant memory after claiming a second Champions League title.

Manager Thomas Tuchel’s next task will be to transform his team back into full-blown PL title contenders but to do that, he will need to coax some more convincing finishing out of the likes of Kai Harvertz and Timo Werner.

Chelsea – 2021/22 season (odds)

The west London giants are 5/1 to be crowned PL winners.