Chelsea legend Frank Lampard is preparing for his second season as boss at Stamford Bridge having been backed in true Roman Abramovich style.
The Blues have spent more than £200million on players this summer.
And after a top-four finish last term, the FA Cup runners-up will be looking for even more in 2020-21.
But closing the gap to Liverpool and Manchester City remains a big task and Lampard will need his new arrivals to hit the ground running.
How did they perform in 2019-20?
Chelsea were the top four’s surprise package during Lampard’s first season in charge, but the campaign was not without its issues.
Unable to make signings due to a transfer ban, Lampard blooded youngsters such as Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount successfully, with the Blues often entertaining to watch.
On the flip side, they also shipped 54 league goals — the most they have conceded in a single campaign since the 1996-97 season.
But reaching the Cup final and securing Champions League qualification meant 2019-20 had to qualify as a success.
Who are the new faces?
With the transfer embargo firmly behind them, Chelsea have not been afraid to spend big.
Germany striker Timo Werner (pictured above) arrived from RB Leipzig for £48million after netting 91 goals in 222 Bundesliga games for Leipzig and Stuttgart.
Werner’s countryman Kai Havertz cost Chelsea a cool £71m from Bayer Leverkusen and is expected to be a creative force through the middle.
Hakim Ziyech completed his switch from Ajax to Stamford Bridge for £33.3m, while Lampard has also strengthened his defence with the £50m signing of Ben Chilwell from Leicester and Paris Saint-Germain veteran Thiago Silva on a free.
What is the manager saying?
“I don’t want to talk about us making statements [with the new signings].
“We should be excited but also have a word of caution that we need to work with the new players.
“My job is to get them settled and get the team working as well as possible.
“Other people can talk about whether we challenge or not. We have finished a lot of points behind in the last two seasons so we have to first look at closing the gap and building confidence.
“I’m not jumping ahead. Expectations will always be there and I thrive on them. I came here to try and win.”
What do the fans expect?
Much like Lampard, Abramovich and everyone involved at the club, the fans expect Chelsea to kick on to the next level with the money that has been spent.
Champions League qualification is a necessity this term but achieving it more comfortably would be the initial aim.
From there, if they can close the gap to Liverpool and City, the season would be considered a success.
Cup victories are always welcome at Stamford Bridge, while any Champions League triumphs will likely be dependent on a kind draw.
When is their first game?
Chelsea start their campaign with a trip to Brighton on Monday. The game is live on Sky Sports and will kick off at 8.15pm.
Due to the unusual nature of the short pre-season, the two sides actually opted to play each other in a friendly at the end of August.
They drew 1-1, which ironically was the same score as their last league meeting in 2019-20.
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