Cole Palmer makes Premier League title race prediction and reveals Chelsea dressing room stance

Cole Palmer has refused to rule Chelsea out of the Premier League title race, despite not having addressed the topic in the dressing room

Cole Palmer reckons Chelsea could compete in the Premier League title race. The Blues fell wildly short of expectations last season, failing to qualify for either of UEFA's three club competitions, with only goal difference keeping them in the top half of the table, but, with Xabi Alonso at the wheel, the 24-year-old midfielder believes his side has a chance.

During an interview with Sky Sports following the 3-2 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage, putting Chelsea joint-first with eight other clubs, Palmer was quizzed on the title race. The England international said: "We've not even spoken about it. You can't say title race yet, we've only played one game."

Arsenal, Manchester City, Brentford, Brighton, Everton, Leeds United, Ipswich Town, and Hull City also tasted victory on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season. When asked if the Blues have the quality to challenge for the title, Palmer replied: "Yeah, I think so."

Although Chelsea struggled to get points on the board last season, they enjoyed wins over Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Aston Villa in the Premier League, as well as Barcelona and Napoli in the Champions League.

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Many of the players at Alonso's disposal also helped the Blues demolish Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final last year. Chelsea also first emerged as potential title contenders during Enzo Maresca's first season in charge.

The Blues enjoyed a brilliant start to the 2024/25 season, climbing to second in the Premier League table just before the midway point. Unfortunately for Chelsea, they had a bit of a wobble over the festive period for a variety of reasons, falling well behind Liverpool and Arsenal.

They've not enjoyed a vein of form quite like it since, but Alonso appears to have given the Blues a new lease of life. Speaking on Sky Sports over the weekend, Gary Neville tipped Arsenal to win the English top-flight again, but backed Chelsea to pile on the pressure.

The Manchester United legend said: "Arsenal are going to be feeling really confident right now. It's the most sure I've ever been, and look, it could be that I've got egg on my face at the end of the season, [but] it's the most sure I've ever been after game one that we're going to see a team be Premier League champions.

"Chelsea will finish second, unless I see them play really badly at Fulham, so I do reserve the right to change my opinion. I do think Chelsea will finish second because of the squad and because of the fact they haven't got European competition.

"They haven't got the confusion, they've got a good manager, so I do think Chelsea have got a great chance to push Arsenal this year and finish second and be the team and let's see on Monday night."

Chelsea could climb to the top of the Premier League this weekend if they beat Brighton, and other fixtures go their way. Arsenal will certainly have something to say when they face Aston Villa on Monday night.