Joe Cole has decided who he thinks will finish higher in the Premier League table this season between Tottenham Hotspur and his former club Chelsea.
Tottenham finished three points and just one place above Chelsea during the 2023-24 Premier League campaign.
Both sides looked set to take part in the UEFA Europa League this season, but Chelsea dropped down to the Europa Conference League as Manchester United gained an automatic place in the group stages of the former by winning the FA Cup.
Tottenham will look to build on their fifth-place finish from last season under Ange Postecoglou, while Chelsea are once again set to start from scratch under Enzo Maresca after the Italian replaced Mauricio Pochettino at the helm.
And now, Joe Cole believes Chelsea will fare better than Tottenham this season, unlike what was the case last time around.
Joe Cole predicts Tottenham to finish outside top four
When asked by TNT Sports News to pick his Premier League top-four, Cole went for Arsenal to win the league and Manchester City to finish second, with the former England international predicting the Gunners to get their hands on the Premier League title for the first time since 2004.
He picked Liverpool to finish third in their first season under Arne Slot, with Chelsea tipped to occupy the final UEFA Champions League spot.
Although Cole didn’t elaborate on his claims, he believes Tottenham will finish outside the top four in the 2024-25 campaign, with the Lillywhites finishing fifth last time around.
Tottenham started the 2023-24 Premier League campaign in flying form and were top of the league until late October as Ange Postecoglou got off to a flying start at his new club.
However, injuries to key players derailed their season as they faltered over the line to book a spot in the Europa League.
What to expect from Tottenham Hotspur this season?
Spurs have been active in the transfer market and have already got Dominic Solanke, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert through the door.
Gray was wanted by Arsenal earlier this summer but the young Englishman ended up on the other end of the north London divide, a deal that was seen as a massive coup in footballing circles.
Solanke’s arrival, on the other hand, will reduce the goalscoring burden on Heung-min Son, with the English striker scoring 19 Premier League goals last season for Bournemouth.
Jamie Carragher believes Spurs paid over the odds to sign Solanke, with Postecoglou’s side parting with a hefty fee of £65m to snap him up earlier this month.
Tottenham have played some good football since Postecoglou’s arrival and with the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea in transition under new managers, they could look to capitalise on the situation to secure a top-four finish.