The former Liverpool defender believes Tottenham Hotspur have the chance to make a big impression this season under the Italian
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has delivered his prediction on Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has delivered his prediction on Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea
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Jamie Carragher believes that Tottenham and Chelsea have a big chance to grab a top four place in the Premier League this coming season.
Spurs will go into the new campaign with Roberto De Zerbi having saved them from relegation and with a headstart on getting his style of football imprinted on the club after two months in charge at the end of the competition and now a full pre-season. Chelsea have a new manager in former Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso, who took the helm last month.
Neither side will have European football to concern themselves about this season after underwhelming campaigns last time out with Chelsea finish 10th and Tottenham 17th. Both have spent plenty though this summer to address various issues and Sky Sports pundit Carragher believes they have a chance to upset the current order.
"There’s a real opportunity for Spurs and Chelsea, without European football next season, to make a real fist of it. There’s a lot of questions about Manchester United playing more European games, Iraola coming in as well at Liverpool, and Unai Emery and Aston Villa losing a lot of their best players, [there] in the Champions League as well.
"So, there’s a real opportunity for Spurs and Chelsea to get into those Champions League positions this season," said the former centre-back in the latest episode of The Overlap Fan Debate, sponsored by Sky Bet.
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Tottenham have spent £237million so far this summer on Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke, while bringing in Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka on free transfers. Big names have also gone out the door in Cristian Romero, Djed Spence, Guglielmo Vicario, Radu Dragusin and £50million Luka Vuskovic.
De Zerbi is looking for the club to sign new attackers in the fortnight ahead with Savinho, Cody Gakpo and Omar Marmoush among those on his wishlist.
"Do you think the business that Tottenham have done and the money that they’ve spent - it was a little bit eye-opening, especially Tonali’s fee, you think, like £100 million. Do you think that comes from the power De Zerbi had and the hold he’s got on the club," suggested Carragher.
"In terms of - he wasn’t sure about coming in, they gave him a really big contract: if I stay, I want this, this, and this, or I’m going. It’s almost like they had to give him what he wants."