Ranking the top six contenders for the 2018/19 Premier League title

#5 Chelsea

Chelsea New Head Coach Maurizio Sarri

Chelsea are also in a phase of transition, after announcing the termination of 2017 Premier League winning manager Antonio Conte's contract to be replaced by ex-Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri.

The 59-year-old Sarri brought Italian midfielder Jorginho with him from Napoli as his first official signing and recently announced Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola as one of his assistants.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's nature of rapid hiring and firing of coaches means that The Blues have been devoid of managerial consistency in the last decade and this has had a negative impact, as the players barely have enough time to adapt to a coach's methods before another manager replaces him.

Sarri comes into a less than ideal situation for a manager at Chelsea. Financial restrictions and plans for a stadium upgrade mean that there is a paucity of funds for the transfer of quality players as it was in the early years of Abramovich's reign. Key players such as Hazard, Willian and recently Kante are being linked with moves away from the club and the absence of Champions League football next season means that Chelsea would not be a prime destination for top-level players.

Sarri comes highly recommended, as his attractive style of play at Napoli earned endorsements from Pep Guardiola and Johann Cruyff, but whether his aesthetic style can translate into trophies at Stamford Bridge remains to be seen although he does have recent history in his favor as the Italians who have managed Chelsea have performed well.