Chelsea have had a season to forget (Picture: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Chelsea fans are desperate for the current season to end as soon as possible with their miserable 2022/23 campaign on course to go down as one of the worst in the club’s proud history.
Frank Lampard, who has been appointed as interim manager until the end of the season following the dismissals of Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, has so far failed to steady the ship having lost all five of his games in the Stamford Bridge hot seat to date.
And with the west Londoners still to face all of the current top four between now and the end of the season, rival supporters have been dreaming up the possibility of Chelsea being relegated.
So, could Chelsea really be plying their trade in the Championship next season instead of the Premier League?
Can Chelsea be relegated this season?
Chelsea, mathematically at least, can still be relegated from the Premier League this season.
The Blues, who have lost 13 league games this term, have 39 points from their 32 fixtures and are currently sat in 12th place in the table.
Chelsea are on a wretched run (Picture: Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Their gap to 18th place Nottingham Forest, who are occupying the final relegation spot, is nine points.
Leicester and Leeds, who are sat in 16th and 17th respectively, are also nine points adrift of Lampard’s men.
The doomsday scenario would likely require Chelsea to lose all of their remaining fixtures and for Forest, Leicester and Leeds to pick up at least ten points from their remaining four games.
It would also require Bournemouth (39), Wolves (37) and West Ham (34) to pick up enough points to overtake Lampard’s men.
In reality, however, Chelsea will almost certainly be hosting Premier League football at Stamford Bridge once again next term.
Over the past 23 Premier League seasons, the 18th-placed team have averaged 35.6 points, whilst the last side to be relegated with 39 points was Birmingham City in 2010/11.
Chelsea’s remaining Premier League fixtures
May 6: Bournemouth vs Chelsea
May 13: Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest
May 21: Manchester City vs Chelsea
May 25: Manchester United vs Chelsea
May 28: Chelsea vs Newcastle United
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Have Chelsea ever been relegated before?
Chelsea are one of the Premier League ever-presents, having never been relegated from the competition since it began in 1992.
Their last relegation from the top flight of English football came back in 1987/88 after losing the relegation play-off tie with Middlesbrough.
Their stay away from the top table only lasted one season, however, with Chelsea earning promotion back to the First Division courtesy of winning the Second Division.
In total, Chelsea have been relegated from the top flight six times in their history.
MORE : Frank Lampard says Mauricio Pochettino is ‘not silly’ by waiting on Chelsea job
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