Ben Chilwell has outlined Chelsea’s ambitions after the club’s takeover was completed at the end of May which put to bed any uncertainty hanging over the future of the Stamford Bridge outfit.
Following a three-month process, the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital consortium won the race to buy the club for £4.25 billion and have already begun work in west London.
Changes have been made at board level, while the rebuild of Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea squad is well underway with Raheem Sterling set to become the first men’s signing of the new era.
More signings are expected in the capital as they look to mount a Premier League title challenge to Manchester City and Liverpool next season.
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Chelsea’s inconsistency cost them again last season, impacted by Covid-19 and injury absences, finishing 19 points behind eventual champions Man City.
Chilwell, 25, missed the majority of the 2021/22 season following a partial anterior cruciate tear in November 2021 against Juventus in the Champions League.
He made his return on the final day of the season against Watford in May, and is raring to slot back into the left wing-back position for the 2022/23 campaign.
Chilwell, who travelled with the squad on Saturday to Los Angeles for their pre-season tour, spoke ahead of the trip and was full of praise for the new owners, manager and squad.
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The England international set out Chelsea’s objectives for the upcoming season, hoping to compete and be in with a shot of winning the Premier League come the 38th and final game next May.
He told reporters on the takeover: “It wasn’t a distraction for us last season. We just focused on the games but I think, as a club, the takeover has lifted a weight off everyone’s shoulders now it has been resolved. We saw the rumours like you saw them.
“We can move on under new ownership which seems amazing. They seem to want to get very involved in the club and move things forward. I don’t think last season was a bad season.
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“We won two cups and got to two cup finals. We are always positive going into every season. We are a strong team, hopefully, we can add to that strength in the transfer market to get some good players. We’ve got a great manager, new ownership, a great training ground and backroom staff.
“Everything is in place for next season. It is just about working hard for each other to make it happen. Liverpool and City have set the bar high for the last five years. Every other team is aspiring to it.
“As a Chelsea player, I think we are the closest to getting there.
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"At times last season, we showed we can compete with them but it’s the consistency that they’ve shown how they can do it season-in and season-out.
“We want to get there and have had these conversations as players and staff. We’ve got the talent and we showed it in the Champions League and at the start of last season. We beat Juventus 4-0 in the Champions League and showed we have the talent but we just need to show consistency."
Topics: Ben Chilwell, Chelsea, Premier League, Manchester City, Manchester United
Matthew Debono