Chelsea are once again starting from scratch with a new manager this season, with former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso being installed as the sixth permanent manager of the Todd Boehly era – which began just four years ago. The Spaniard’s Bayer Leverkusen side historically toppled Bayern Munich in Germany in 2023/24, winning the Bundesliga undefeated. They hope he is the man to lead them back into the Champions League places, and perhaps back to the very top of the Premier League eventually.A look at the current Chelsea odds before the start of the season would indicate that the West Londoners are outsiders when it comes to the Premier League title, but very much in the shake-up when it comes to the top 4.There are several other outright markets you can delve into besides the odds on Chelsea to win the league, and we’ll explore these in depth in this article. Odds on Chelsea to win the leagueHeading into the new season, here is lie of the Premier League land according to the bookies:Arsenal – 6/5with BOYLE SportsMan City – 7/2with Betfred Liverpool – 6/1with Sky BetMan United – 8/1 with bet365Chelsea – 8/1 with Paddy PowerAston Villa – 66/1 with Coral*Odds correct as of 21st August, and are subject to change.Arsenal brought the trophy back to London after it had spent eight straight seasons in the North West, between Manchester and Liverpool. They start as favourites to defend it.Chelsea finished 4th in the 2024/25 campaign under Enzo Maresca and were on course for something similar last season, until the Italian’s sudden and explosive exit in January. The club quickly moved to appoint Liam Rosenior from Strasbourg, who are part of the same BlueCo ownership group. Rosenior’s six-year contract, however, didn’t even last six months. The Blues plummeted down the Premier League table, eventually finishing 10th.According to the current pricing, the bookies believe that miserable run to be an aberration and, with a fresh start, the squad should return to being a top 4 contender. Results may not, however, be immediate as they adapt to yet another new manager and another style of play. AlonsoBall is intense, with relentless counter-pressing and fluid formations. Maresca, on the other hand, brought a more methodical possession style and the players struggled to buy into Rosenior’s methods at all.Once again, Chelsea have undergone quite the overhaul, spending an enormous sum on Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa as well as adding centre back Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace and confirming a couple of pre-agreed deals ahead of this summer’s window.The turnover in the squad, as well as in the dugout, has been Chelsea’s biggest issue under Boehly, with very few of the foundations built in one season surviving into the next. A top 4 finish would represent progress and should be a realistic target for year one under Alonso.As an addition to the title and top 4 odds, BOYLE Sports are currently offering both new and existing customers an outright offer whereby their pick for the title winner can net them £5 in free bets each time they win a league game in August or September! All you need to do is place a £20 bet on Chelsea to win the league (or any other team) before the season starts. Even if you don’t truly believe in Chelsea to win the league, AlonsoBall could catch the league by surprise and earn them several early wins! How Chelsea can feature in the Premier League title raceFew expected Arne Slot to ‘slot’ right in at Liverpool and produce title-winning football right away, which proves it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that Chelsea can do the same with Xabi Alonso. We will have to see how quickly they look up to speed in the opening weeks. Chelsea current squad and managerAs touched upon already, it has been difficult for any Chelsea head coach or manager to establish their identity given that it has been the hottest of hot seats in recent years and the squad has been assembled for several of the head coaches and managers before them. Interestingly, Alonso is the first Boehly appointment to be officially given the title of ‘manager’, suggesting he may be given more control over the squad building. Will he also be given more time?One thing that may work in their favour is that there is no European football on the calendar this season, after Chelsea slid all the way down to 10th last season. The greatly reduced number of midweek matches will give Alonso, in most cases, a full week to gameplan for the next Premier League opponent – and more time to coach his philosophy into the squad.New signing Morgan Rogers and close friend Cole Palmer will likely be instrumental, and midfielder Moises Caicedo should be the perfect player for Alonso’s relentless brand of football. Transfer activity – ins and outs Key Arrivals PlayerFromFee Morgan Rogers From Aston Villa £117m Maxence Lacroix From Crystal Palace £52m Marco Palestra From Atalanta £47m Geovany Quenda From Sporting CP £40m Valentin Barco From Strasbourg £34m Emmanuel Emegha From Strasbourg £22m Pep Chavarría From Rayo Vallecano £16m Danny Welbeck From Brighton £5m Jordan Henderson From Brentford Free Reported spend £333m Key Departures PlayerToFee Andrey Santos To Manchester United £48m Marc Cucurella To Real Madrid £47.5m Trevoh Chalobah To Como £25.7m Tyrique George To Everton £24m Alejandro Garnacho To Aston Villa Loan Filip Jørgensen To Strasbourg Loan Reported income £145.2m Fees as reported. Loan and free transfers are excluded from the totals.As you can see, it has been yet another busy summer at Stamford Bridge! Albeit, some of these deals were struck several months ago – such as those for Sporting CP winger Geovany Quenda and Strasbourg striker Emmanuel Emegha.Rogers is the headline signing, but Chelsea were also in dire need of sorting their issues at centre back. Maxence Lacroix arrives off the back of winning a European trophy at Crystal Palace, and was selected for France at this summer’s World Cup. Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson were quite the curveballs, but after Chelsea’s huge (failed) gambles on youth in recent years, they could be shrewd additions to the dressing room.Marc Cucurella is the main outgoing so far, but Chelsea appear to be well stocked in the full back positions. Just looking at the amount spent versus the amount recouped, more will have to follow for Chelsea to balance things out and comply with the new Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) measures. Nine senior players were left out of the final pre-season squad entirely, among them Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap, Mykhailo Mudryk, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi, with Jackson told he is free to find a new club. Enzo Fernandez, by contrast, looks set to stay – Chelsea set a mid-August deadline of £120million, Manchester City never bid, and Xabi Alonso has confirmed the Argentine is in his plans for Monday. Key fixtures in the 2026/27 seasonChelsea begin their campaign with a West London derby against neighbours Fulham at Craven Cottage on Monday Night Football. They will then host Brighton, before heading to the Emirates to take on defending champions, Arsenal. In fact, Chelsea won’t leave the capital until the 17th October when they travel up to Everton – a game they lost 3-0 in March, in what was the beginning of the end for Rosenior. December could be a key month for Alonso, going up against Liverpool, Man City and Aston Villa in back-to-back weeks. The Christmas and New Year period looks kinder, on paper. They take on newly-promoted Coventry and Ipswich, before hosting Newcastle to kick off 2027.Towards the end of the season, the Blues will meet Man City and Liverpool again in late April and early May, and will finish with a tricky trip to Bournemouth and a home game against Brentford. Chelsea fans will be hoping these games have plenty riding on them!Chelsea odds in other outright marketsIf Chelsea are more of a fringe title contender, there are other Chelsea betting odds you can use to back them this season. Chelsea trophy multiplesThere are fewer combinations for Chelsea than for other teams in this market as the West Londoners are only fighting on three fronts this season. They have a strong recent record in the domestic cups, and these could be something for them to target alongside a top 4 push.They certainly have the squad depth to go far in either one! The Premier League is likely to be out of reach, and winning both cups is rare – so for now, I’d back them to just win one trophy (any trophy). You could, however, take the tempting odds of 33/1 on an FA Cup/League Cup double and see how the cash out value progresses as they advance in both. Back Chelsea to win a trophy in the 2026/27 season at 5/2 with BOYLE Sports Top London clubChelsea are expected to be the second-strongest of the six London clubs in the Premier League. It isn’t unthinkable, however, that Arsenal’s title defence falls apart similarly to Liverpool’s last season. The Gunners haven’t successfully defended on it on any of the previous three occasions they’ve won it. Chelsea could, in that scenario, finish above them, even if they don’t win the league. Bet on Chelsea finishing as the highest-placed London club at 7/2 with Betfred Top scorerJoao Pedro had a good first season with Chelsea, after arriving from Brighton last summer – scoring 15 Premier League goals, and 20 in all competitions. He signed off pre-season with a second-half brace in a 3-1 win over Real Sociedad, a game in which Morgan Rogers also scored on his first appearance for the club. It wasn’t enough, however, to be selected by Carlo Ancelotti in the Brazil World Cup squad. His omission was one of the more shocking across all the squad announcements. What that does mean, however, is that he’s had a much more restful summer than many of those vying for the Premier League Golden Boot. Erling Haaland remains the odds-on favourite, but Pedro could be a very good value pick at 16/1. Back João Pedro to be the Premier League’s top scorer at 16/1 with bet365 FAQs about Chelsea ahead of the 2026/27 season1. Who are likely to become Chelsea’s key players as they aim to fight for the Premier League title?A well-rested João Pedro, with Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer linking up with him, could catch fire and become one of the most dangerous attacking trios in the league. Moises Caicedo has grown into one of the best all-round midfielders in the world while at Chelsea, and he will be a vital cog in AlonsoBall with his energy and quality on and off the ball. The defence will need to improve, and Maxence Lacroix should be an upgrade on the many centre backs who’ve dipped in and out of the lineup in recent seasons.2. Who are likely to be Chelsea’s main rivals in the Premier League top four race and other domestic competitions?Arsenal and Man City are expected to battle for the title, with Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea the next ‘tier’ down – and therefore likely to end up in 3rd, 4th and 5th in any particular order. Aston Villa can’t be ignored either, having finished 4th last season.3. When are the best times to lock in the best odds for Chelsea in the markets mentioned in this article?Usually the best time would be before a ball is kicked! Chelsea could get off to a flier and their odds in every market would shrink as a result. Or they could start slowly, and you can snap up better odds – as long as you believe they’ll turn it around! About the authorNathan HillNathan Hill is an experienced sports writer who obsessively follows football – both the round ball and American kind – as well as range of other sports including F1, basketball, darts and snooker.Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. 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