In terms of current squad, they look to me very much like a lower half club, led by one of the less credible managers in the PL. Their signings have, if anything, cemented that. Tarkowski is more or less at the same level as the best CBs they already had, Dwight McNeil, unlike Richarlison, is not the sort of player that gives a mid-table side some reason to hope they'll become a good side, he's more the sort of player that gives a bottom side some reason to hope they can become a mid-table side. They arguably used to have four players - Richarlison, Digne, Pickford, Calvert-Lewin - that looked like a basis for building a path into the top 7. Now it's just Pickford and Calvert-Lewin. I'm sure a decent performance could be coaxed out of that squad, but then again you'd have to ask if that's something you can expect Frank Lampard to do better than his colleagues at the other clubs who are more or less in the same place in terms of squad quality. Best case they might have a sniff at 10th, but I think it's more likely they'll find themselves in the relegation battle.
