On-site | Cole: The Gunners have the same chance to compete for the championship, Chelsea s lowest target top four

The 2025/26 Premier League season will officially kick off on Friday, August 15, UK time. This week, football celebrities Ashley Cole and Nemania Vidic came to China to celebrate the return of the Premier League with local fans. I also took this opportunity to interview the two. In the interview, Ashley Cole expressed his expectations for Arsenal and Chelsea, while Vidic talked about his current views on Manchester United.

The following is a conversation with Ashley Cole:

: Arsenal has ranked second in the Premier League for three consecutive years, and the Premier League champions are so close but so far. What do you think they lack the most? Can the Gunners win the championship in the new season?

Ashley Cole: They have been very close in the past few years, but it is difficult to win the championship, and there are still many teams participating in the competition. This season they have introduced more players and the lineup has been strengthened. I think the pressure will still be on Arsenal's side, because other teams also have a lot of new players, let's wait and see. I think Arsenal is already very, very close to the championship in the absence of centers. Now they make up for this. In my opinion, their chances of winning should be equal to other championship teams.

: Chelsea won the Club World Cup. Did they surprise you? Do you think their goal in the new season should be the top four or the championship?

Ashley Cole: Yes, I was very surprised by Chelsea's performance. Maresca led the team very well. The club was a little confused when he took over and stabilized the ship. He cleared out the players he thought would not help the team this season, and now he has brought in several very outstanding new players.

Chelsea's performance in the Club World Cup is what I hope to see, and I believe the head coach also hopes to see. The same is true this season, I think their minimum goal should be the top four, and they may not shout slogans, but it is certain that every player is eager to win the Premier League title.

As for whether they are mature enough to achieve this goal, it is often said that a group of young teams cannot win the championship, but who knows? I hope they can play their best when they were out of the Club World Cup. This will be an exciting Premier League season, and this Chelsea team is also a thrilling Blues team.

Related: On-site | Vidic: Manchester United's qualifying for the Champions League will satisfy fans, this is the goal