Danny Murphy: Premier League's strength will make it hard for Chelsea to become European powerhouse

If Chelsea clinch the Premier League title tonight, it will be their 14th major trophy since Roman Abramovich took control in 2003. 

It is a superb effort, and this is why Chelsea can compete for the best players. They are in a great place in London, they pay the players well and they have a proven record of winning trophies.

But if they want to reach the level of the traditional superpowers — Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Juventus — they need to dominate English football for at least a decade. 

They simply don’t have the same history as those clubs, and because of the strength of the Premier League, I doubt it will be possible in the medium term for a club to dominate in the way United or Liverpool did.

Look at clubs like United, Barcelona and Madrid. They have huge stadia and a huge following worldwide. Chelsea have done a great job in the Abramovich era and now have fans everywhere, but given where they came from — they had to wait 50 years from their first title  triumph in 1955 to their second in 2005 — it is nearly impossible to become a Madrid or a Barcelona.

I expect Chelsea to fight strongly for the title again next season, but I cannot see them having another campaign like this one. I believe there is a strong chance they will lose both Diego Costa and Eden Hazard, who would then have to be replaced — and players of similar ability are very difficult to find.

Others may move on, too. Will Cesc Fabregas be happy with a peripheral role? It seems clear that Antonio Conte has a huge offer on the table from Inter Milan, though he said yesterday he intends to stay at Chelsea for a long time. 

If he’s saying that, I imagine he will have been promised huge money to improve the squad. I expect replacements for Costa and Hazard, another creative player if Fabregas leaves, at least one more defender and another athletic midfielder.

But even if they bring in four or five top quality players, it will take time to adjust. And if it does, that might open the door for Manchester City or Manchester United to win the title. Both those clubs will invest heavily over the summer and when you have so many wealthy clubs, it is vital to get the recruitment right.

The performances of Hazard and N’Golo Kante have rightly been praised this season, but Victor Moses has been Chelsea’s unsung hero. His defending has improved so much and he is effective in the final third, too. I think he is the best in the country in the right wing-back role and he deserves to keep his place next season.