Chelsea and Tottenham went head-to-head at Stamford Bridge in the first London derby for both clubs this season, which could outline their trajectories for the rest of the campaign. The meeting comes after a huge summer of transition for the two clubs, with plenty of changes made in the transfer market.
The Blues needed some turnover in the squad after an ownership change at the club back in May. Todd Boehly pledged to give backing to Thomas Tuchel and has done that so far with over £100million spent in the market at this stage.
Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella were the three main first-team signings made, though it seems as though plenty more are set to join before the conclusion of the window. On the other side of London, former boss Antonio Conte has been very active in the market.
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The Spurs manager earned an unlikely top four finish last season and has been backed with transfers, making six signings early on. With a full pre-season at his disposal, the Italian will be hoping he can take the squad to the next level, competing for trophies once again.
The first big test for both teams is in facing each other at Stamford Bridge, with the game proving an early time to test their credentials for trophies and perhaps even more for the campaign. After plenty of changes for both teams, Sky Sports pundits Graeme Souness and Karen Carney had their say on the transfer window.
Souness said on Chelsea's window: "From Chelsea’s point of view, they're a team that’s used to being a team that's successful. The amount of changes that has taken place at this football club is enormous. I don’t think they’ve got the players they really wanted, they need more goals unless Sterling scores 15 a season.
"At this level, you’re looking for someone with 20+ like a Harry Kane type, they haven’t got that. They don’t really know where they are. There’s more questions about them than Tottenham have. Spurs are a team on the up, they’ve got a really good manager."
That was something Carney agreed with, believing that Spurs have won the transfer window over their rivals at this point: "They’re showing their weight around like a big club. Got their signings in early, threw the scrapbook out and gone for experienced players. But when you do that, you have to put the performances in. [They have] only been here once in 30 years and won. Great having a transfer window but you’ve got to put the performance in and win."
It remains to be seen whether those signings will see Tottenham close the gap on Chelsea, or if it will grow over the course of the season.
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