Tuchel has "all the tools" needed for Chelsea to challenge for Premier League
If there’s a man who knows what it takes for Chelsea to win a Premier League title, it’s Michael Essien.
The ex-Ghana international was a crucial part of two title-winning sides at Stamford Bridge under Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, racking up over 250 appearances for the Blues.
So when he looks at the team Thomas Tuchel has at Chelsea and says they’re good enough to be champions of England, most would be inclined to agree.
Essien, speaking exclusively to Ladbrokes, said: “I'm going to say Chelsea win the league next season, based on how good they've looked since Thomas Tuchel has taken over.
“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.”
Tuchel has had a transformative effect since arriving in January, leading Chelsea to an FA Cup final, a Champions League final and the top four of the Premier League.
The ex-PSG and Borussia Dortmund boss inherited a side that topped the division under predecessor Frank Lampard in December, but an underwhelming winter cost the Blues legend his job.
However, Essien doesn’t think that the players were to blame, insisting the club has ‘got it all’.
“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,” Essien said.
“If you look from the goalkeepers to the forwards, they've got big names all over the pitch. They've got it all.
“I love the fact that they've got Thiago Silva at the back, his experience really is vital to that team and he's such a great name the younger players in the squad can learn from.
“He commands the back line very well, but even without him, they've got Antonio Rudiger, Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen, so they're very strong in that area.”
Having only joined at the end of January, Tuchel is yet to add to his squad, but Essien can’t see any obvious areas of improvement.
The Champions League winner believes that the German’s faith in some of his key players has paid off, and will continue to do so.
“In terms of where else they could realistically strengthen – I'm not sure, because it's very difficult to go out and find a quality striker available in the market.
“Plus, I really like Timo Werner, I actually think he's done very well, particularly in recent weeks.
“He's so tricky to keep up with so if he can start adding goals to his game next season I don't think it's an area Chelsea will need to look at strengthening.
“Even without scoring goals, he's still contributing so much to the team, giving assists to his teammates and playing a vital role in winning games.
“But as a striker, especially at that price, when you're not scoring, people tend not to look at anything else that you do other than your goal ratio.”
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