Chelsea preview: Five key talking points for 2026-27 Premier League season

Chelsea’s story has rarely been one of plain sailing. The Blues first won the English top flight in 1955, and by 1971 had won three FA Cups and the old UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.Fortunes soon turned, and in 1983, the west Londoners avoided relegation to the English third tier by the skin of their teeth. Within a decade, the good times were rolling again, and a 26-year wait for a trophy ended with their fourth FA Cup.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4La Liga: The key talking points for Real Madrid before the 2026-27 seasonlist 2 of 4La Liga: Five key talking points heading into Barcelona’s 2026-27 seasonlist 3 of 4Real Madrid officially present Mourinho in bizarre closed-door ceremonylist 4 of 4Top 10 players to watch in the 2026-27 European football seasonend of listEnter a new owner, Roman Abramovich, and the rest – of their modern era – is history.The latest wait for a trophy is only five seasons, but in the past four seasons, the Stamford Bridge club has witnessed its choppiest waters in 30 years and now faces a campaign without any European football.Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at the club’s prospects in advance of the new season.What have been Chelsea’s biggest proble...