Spurs is a transition, I'd agree. Chelsea definitely isn't though, IMO.
I more or less agree with you. Transition isn't a black and white thing for me, it's all about context. It's not 'a new manager, new players', it's not that simple. It's about the structure of the club, the period it's going through, the former season...
I agree that Chelsea isn't in transition: last season they worked on the squad and integrated youngsters, and especially this season they got a new manager who knows the club and know English football. Mourinho would have been quite settled the minute he arrived in London (didn't he have a house there as well?). It's not really a transition year for them, I wouldn't say.
Spurs of course are. They've made a mess of the managerial situation and overhauled the entire squad, trying to bed new players with different profiles (established players, potential players, players from other leagues, etc.). I overestimated their chances at the beginning of the season, not exactly analysing the impact these changes would have correctly.
Utd, of course, are a team in transition, especially because of the Ferguson factor, but also because the squad needs some trimming and has been squeezed to its maximum potential and needs some energy injected, for me.
This may be more debatable, but I also consider City a team in transition. This is because of the context, not so much the fact they have a new manager, but because they arrived at the end of a managerial tenure that brought something new for them (success) but didn't know how the manage the aftermath (remotivating the squad for more success). This is mainly a team of mercenaries, and the idea is to forge them into something else, a team that can fight on multiple fronts, that can be a serious contender year after year. Honestly, their title challenge last year was laughable, but not entirely surprising given the profile of players in their squad. Turning that around this season, changing the mentalities of the players, injecting something new to the spirit of the club (it saddens me to write this as a Utd fan) warrants them being in a transition year for me. Not everything has been going their way, but next year they'll be a much more settled team. That they're starting to be so strong in the league now is a testament to Pelligrini's work so far, in my opinion.
but I bet they exist). City are bedding in Negredo and Navas and Chelsea Willian and hatrick hero Eto along with new managers, I am unclear on what you classify as transition but for me a change of manager is the greatest one of all.
