In his most recent column, former England midfielder Paul Merson offers a candid assessment of Chelsea’s ongoing slump, highlighting the mounting pressure on manager Liam Rosenior. The Blues have endured a dreadful spell, losing six of their last eight fixtures across all competitions, the most recent being a narrow 1-0 defeat to Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. That loss has left them teetering on the brink of missing out on Champions League qualification.
At present Chelsea sit seven points adrift of fifth‑placed Liverpool with only five games remaining in the Premier League season. All the results from the weekend’s matches have gone against them, and a further loss to Brighton on Tuesday – a game that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports – could see them tumble to as low as 11th place by the end of the week.
Such a slide would be almost unthinkable for a club that has enjoyed a decade of regular European football. Merson does not mince words: "No Champions League football for Chelsea next season looks like the case now. I just don’t see how they get in; I’d be shocked if they did." He stresses that the club is now fighting merely to secure a spot in European competition of any kind. With 33 league games already played, Chelsea find themselves level on points with Brentford and Bournemouth, while Sunderland’s win at Aston Villa would have pushed them above the Blues.
The former striker questions whether Chelsea can even win the upcoming Brighton clash. "If Chelsea don’t beat Brighton on Tuesday, they could be 11th by the end of the week. And do I expect them to beat Brighton? No," he writes.
He does, however, acknowledge a slim consolation: a victory over Brighton would set up a must‑win encounter with Liverpool later in the season, a game that could still keep European hopes alive. Yet, he points out, Chelsea have no remaining fixtures against any of the current top‑five sides besides that Liverpool showdown, meaning their ability to close the gap on the elite is severely limited.
The prospect of missing out on the Champions League, Merson says, would be a "kick in the teeth" for a club accustomed to the competition. He also speculates on the future of key players. Regarding Cole Palmer, he doubts the youngster will remain at Chelsea if the team drops into the Europa Conference League, suggesting that Manchester United’s likely Champions League qualification could lure him away. Conversely, he sees no realistic market for Enzo Fernández, noting that no club is prepared to meet a £100 million price tag and that Chelsea are unlikely to sell him at a loss.
Merson outlines the squad’s glaring deficiencies. He argues that Chelsea urgently need a true centre‑forward and a reliable goalkeeper. While praising the midfield talents of Moisés Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Andrey Santos, he insists the team requires an additional player with greater creativity and guile to unlock stubborn defenses. Turning to Rosenior, Merson expresses a mixture of sympathy and frustration.
The Dutchman arrived from Strasbourg to inherit a massive job, yet his tenure has been plagued by inconsistency. "He’s overseen just two wins in eight games – the only victories coming against Wrexham and Port Vale – and five wins in fifteen overall. It hasn’t been great," Merson observes.
He wonders what the club’s long‑term project actually is, emphasizing that Chelsea’s business model now prioritises buying talent, developing it, and selling for profit, rather than simply chasing trophies. He reminds readers that many younger Chelsea supporters have grown up knowing only success, having never experienced a season of genuine struggle. The era of managers like José Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel, who delivered silverware, appears to be over. Merson muses about the possibility of Andoni Iraola taking the helm, but notes that Iraola would likely be recruited from Bournemouth and would face immediate pressure to deliver results.
"If they had drawn or lost against Newcastle at the weekend, there would have been no hustle, no worries," he says, implying that any new appointment would inherit a precarious situation. Merson also doubts that top‑tier managers will be attracted to Chelsea’s current philosophy, which he summarises as: "We’re not going to have too much experience, do your best and get us in the Champions League." He argues that the realistic aim should be to develop players, improve their value, and sell them profitably, rather than demanding an immediate league title. In conclusion, Merson urges fans to tune in to the Brighton versus Chelsea match on Tuesday night, starting at 7.30 pm with a kick‑off at 8 pm on Sky Sports, as the outcome could prove pivotal for the Blues’ final league standing and their European future.