Alan Shearer rates Chelsea’s title chances and predicts £48m star will leave after Club World Cup win

Alan Shearer has credited Enzo Maresca with doing a ‘magnificent’ job at Chelsea and believes the club have to be considered a genuine Premier League title contender for next season.

The Blues picked up where they left off after ending last season on an almighty high, sweeping aside Paris Saint-Germain in Sunday’s one-sided Club World Cup final to secure a second trophy in the space of just two months.

Stamford Bridge bosses have also put down a marker in what has been a busy start to the transfer window, with Jamie Gittens, Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Dario Essugo and Mamadou Sarr signing on the dotted line in west London.

Finding a high-class goalkeeper to replace Robert Sanchez remains a priority for the summer, while the likes of Noni Madueke, Christopher Nkunku, Joao Felix and Axel Disasi could all be set for the exit door over the coming weeks.

There were some doubts amongst the fanbase as Chelsea experienced a drastic decline in results across a difficult winter period last season, in which Maresca’s men went on a miserable run of just three wins in 12 matches.

But just six months on, there are plenty of reasons for supporters to be cheerful again – and legendary ex-England striker Shearer is backing the club to be a genuine force when the Premier League returns.

‘I think it would take a very, very brave person to say that Chelsea would not be involved in the title hunt next year because of what they’ve achieved this season, what they’ve just achieved [winning the Club World Cup], who they’ve signed, who they will sign,’ Shearer said on the latest episode of The Rest Is Football.

‘I think you have to say that they will be involved in the title race.’

Ignoring Chelsea’s dip midway through last season, Shearer was been massively impressed with the club’s transformation since Maresca took over the reins from Mauricio Pochettino.

Reflecting on Chelsea’s 3-0 win over PSG, Shearer said: ‘It was a masterclass from Maresca because PSG went in, their football has worked all season and why not? Why should they change anything?

‘But I think the little tweaks from Maresca, they’re pressing high and all those things, and I just think it worked perfectly for them and he deserves huge credit, not only for the job he’s done in this competition, but for the whole season.

‘I don’t think anyone knew what to expect because you know what happens at Chelsea, it’s happened before: if you don’t win things, you know exactly what happens.

‘You’re in there for a reason and know how it’s going to work.

‘He’s done a magnificent job, he really has.’

Speaking ahead of the Club World Cup final, Shearer predicted Nicolas Jackson’s days at Chelsea were numbered following the recent arrivals on Delap and Pedro from Ipswich and Brighton respectively.

The former Newcastle forward reiterated his point once again after Chelsea’s triumph in New Jersey, saying he wouldn’t be shocked if the club had already been offering the Senegalese out to rival teams.

It’s understood Chelsea would be prepared to do business for Jackson should they receive an offer of €55-60million (£48-52m) this summer.

He added: ‘As soon as Pedro came in and scored the two goals and Delap’s already there, if there’s one person that’s going to be shifted out then my guess it would be Jackson.

‘It wouldn’t surprise me if they’ve already offered him to other football clubs and they’ve enquired about it.’

According to Shearer, Cole Palmer was the ‘pick of the bunch’ after scoring twice and assisting Pedro to put Chelsea out of sight against PSG at MetLife Stadium.

‘To do it on that stage, to do it against those players who have been magnificent, PSG, and basically dominated Europe for the year…’ Shearer – the Premier League’s all-time top scorer – said of Palmer’s performance.

‘We’ve spoken so much about PSG’s midfield and everything else and how brilliant some of their players have been and rightly so, but he [Palmer] was the pick of the bunch by an absolute mile.

‘I thought he was absolutely outstanding.’

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