If Manchester City thought next season’s Premier League was going to be a repeat of the last two campaigns, fending off Liverpool and Manchester United again, then Saturday’s Champions League final defeat to Chelsea will surely have made them think again.

Liverpool should indeed be a bigger threat with a fully fit squad including Virgil van Dijk and some new additions, and United are expected to invest heavily on key upgrades.

But the Thomas Tuchel factor makes Chelsea a genuine contender. In just four months, the German manager has transformed Chelsea from a team struggling to qualify for next season’s Champions League into the new European champions...