Chelsea “still miles away” from top teams claims former player who isn’t fooled by recent results | OneFootball

You can always rely on Chris Sutton to tell the truth, no matter how blunt, and while he’s not the most popular ex-player with Chelsea fans, he’s one who does understand a little about what the supporters think.

After 3 wins in a row our mini crisis is over – or at least suspended – and our place in the Champions League next season is getting closer with every game. There’s still not music and flowers at Stamford Bridge though – in fact there were groans and jeers at half time last week as the players trudged off after a dreadful showing against Copenhagen.

Wins over the Danes and their limited budget, along with Southampton and Leicester, haven’t convinced Sutton that Chelsea are anything to write home about, and he thinks the supporters agree:

“I think Chelsea fans feel they’re certainly not going to get there this season, but they’re still miles away,” the pundit said on 5Live’s Monday Night Club.

“Remember the takeover; they spent an absolute fortune, a billion pounds, and there was this sort of development idea. Lovely in theory, but for a club that has been gluttonous and greedy in terms of winning trophies over a prolonged period, they just feel that they’re slightly beneath that level at the moment, and they can’t quite see how it’s going to join up where they can hit the top.”

Chelsea still miles away from top sides despite improvements

A Chelsea group huddle in the Conference League. (Photo by Patrik Lundin/Getty Images)

Champions League qualification would be a big step forward, but as we complete our third full year under this ownership, it still feels we’re years away from challenging. We’re 21 points off first place this season as it stands, and while that’s a hell of a lot better than the 45 point gap we finished with in 2022-2023, it’s a vast chasm which is unlikely to be closed in the space of a year.