EXCLUSIVE: Gus Poyet dismisses claims Chelsea are Premier League title contenders

Ex-Chelsea midfielder Gus Poyet has dismissed any talk of his former club's Premier League title hopes this term, despite pundits being full of praise for Enzo Maresca's team.

In an exclusive interview with Odds Now, on behalf of UK bookmaker William Hill, the former Uruguay international identified potential weaknesses in Chelsea's defensive and goalkeeper positions.

Inconsistent start for Blues

Chelsea have experienced a mixed bag of results at the start of their 2025/26 Premier League campaign. Maresca's men lie in 7th place, but find themselves just 5 points off the pace of early league leaders Arsenal.

Three wins, two draws, and two defeats have summed up a problem of inconsistency for the West London club. However, a much-improved 2-1 win at home to Liverpool in their last league outing led to praise being heaped on the squad.

Poyet was quick to play down the hype that followed the Blues' performance, however.

The former Leeds and Sunderland manager stated, "I think they will be a bit short this season. But they can once again secure a Champions League spot, I think.

"Sunday was a huge win for Chelsea following a few defeats, which were of their own doing in getting silly red cards, which then gave them an uphill struggle playing so many minutes with 10 men.

"In the Premier League, you see first-hand what playing 10 v 11 can do to you, and the Brighton result was a real tough one to take, given Chelsea had started so well.

"Defensively, they can still improve, and the goalkeeper position, I feel."

Poyet backs former clubs to survive

Poyet enjoyed a successful career both on and off the pitch in England. The Uruguayan's playing career saw him make over 100 appearances for Chelsea before joining their rivals, Tottenham.

A move into management then followed, with Poyet spending time as assistant manager at clubs including Swindon, Leeds, and Tottenham. He then got his opportunity in the main job when he was appointed manager of Brighton in 2009.

It was a successful period for Poyet and the Seagulls as he led the club to the League One title in 2011. He then made the move to Sunderland in 2013, where he achieved an impressive 61.98% win percentage.

Poyet was keen to highlight the Premier League survival chances of two of his former clubs, Leeds and Sunderland, after their encouraging starts to the season.

He said, "I am sitting here happy with both teams' starts to the Premier League. For both clubs, it was important to get points on the board early, and Leeds had a very good win away at Wolves, along with two home draws against top teams in Newcastle and Bournemouth.

"There is nothing against losing at Arsenal, who will challenge for the title. So if Leeds can continue to pick up results at home and away against the teams around them, then they can look to avoid the relegation battle.

"But, it’s so important to keep your top players fit in this league and defensively, to not break up the defence. It won’t be easy, but Leeds have set themselves up to compete well in this League and are playing with confidence that they can compete, which is huge mentally."

Poyet added, "Looking at Sunderland, it’s a dream start for them.

"Winning 3-0 at home in your opening game to West Ham was a dream come true. They then proved it was no fluke by beating Brentford at home and then a big away win at Nottingham Forest.

"Granit Xhaka was a brilliant signing, and he is leading the team so well with his experience. It is so important to have experience when you come into a league like the Premier League, and he is doing a fine job.

"Credit to the manager who had so many new signings to gel in, but has done a very good role in doing so as the team seem to be working very hard for each other and with a massive home support, they are really putting on big performances at home, which is vital."

Poyet concluded, "As it stands, you would say Sunderland have a slightly better chance of survival having more points on the board, but Leeds are looking competent as well to give it a shot to survive as well."

Bookmakers back Poyet's stance

It appears that bookmakers are in agreement with Poyet over Chelsea's title chances and the survival hopes of Leeds and Sunderland.

Chelsea are priced as the 25/1 fourth favourites with William Hill to win the league title this season. Ahead of them in the market are Arsenal at 10/11, Liverpool at 11/4, and Manchester City at 4/1.

Regarding the relegation market, William Hill are offering odds of 2/5 on Sunderland to stay up and 2/9 on Leeds avoiding relegation this season – suggesting both clubs can indeed buck the recent trend of newly-promoted sides heading straight back to the second tier.