
Paul Merson has dismissed the low probability assigned to Chelsea’s Premier League title hopes, insisting the Blues should be considered genuine contenders alongside Arsenal and Liverpool.
The Sky Sports pundit spoke out after Arsenal’s emphatic 5-1 win over Crystal Palace, which moved them within two points of Chelsea in the league table.
Despite Chelsea’s form, Opta’s title prediction model gives Chelsea just a 5.8% chance of winning the title, compared to Liverpool’s 80.2% and Arsenal’s 13.2%.
Merson strongly disagrees with this assessment. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “Well, that 5.8 per cent needs to be biggest, whatever happens. That does need to be bigger, that’s ridiculous.” Highlighting Chelsea’s position in the title race, he added: “Chelsea are in this 100 per cent. But Arsenal are probably 13 per cent and Chelsea five [per cent] because they haven’t been in this position.”
Merson also addressed Arsenal’s title challenge, urging the Gunners to be more ruthless in critical games. “Arsenal need consistency, they need consistency as Mikel Arteta said, they’ve drawn their last two games,” he explained. “Drawing at home to Everton, the chances they had, they’ve got to win those games, they’ve got to be more ruthless, they’ve got to put those teams away.”
Chelsea’s advantage, Merson argues, lies in their lack of distractions compared to their rivals. “The thing with Chelsea is they’ve got no distraction. They’re not in Europe, they’ve got another team for European football—Cole Palmer, none of them play. They’ve got no two-legged Carabao Cup games in January and February.” Merson’s bold statements add fuel to the debate on Chelsea’s true chances in this season’s Premier League title race.