Manchester City and Chelsea fans were in a mixed mood in the Transfer Tavern following important victories for their teams over the weekend.

Pep Guardiola’s Citizens made it three wins in a week with a thumping 6-0 victory over Watfrod, while Antonio Conte’s Premier League champions struggled to break down Arsenal.

As weird as that sounds…

And City fans were in a particularly joyous mood standing at the bar after seeing their side propel to the summit, only for neighbours Manchester United to reclaim top spot with a 2-2 draw at Stoke City in the evening kick-off.

And with Chelsea third at this early stage of the campaign, it’s all set up to be another fascinating Premier League season which is sure to intrigue many in the Tavern, and one summer signing who has been brought in to help Guardiola’s side win the title this term is left-back Benjamin Mendy.

The 23-year-old left Monaco in the summer to link up with the Citizens, and has recently cited Guardiola as the main reason for moving to the Etihad Stadium, thus at the same time seeing him reject Conte’s Chelsea.

And here are THREE reasons why the France international could regret rejecting Chelsea for Guardiola’s City…

Chelsea – the current force of English football?

Ultimately, there’s an argument to be had that Chelsea are the new force of English football.

The Blues have won two of the last three Premier League titles and five of the last 13, tying with Manchester United during the same time span (who incidentally have now gone four years without a title).

Add in the fact that they are the most recent English winners of the Champions League back in 2012, a Europa League crown in 2015, and four FA Cups and three League Cups since Jose Mourinho’s arrival back in 2004, and their trophy tally is unmatched in English football (14 in that time to United’s 12).

Yes, City are building and are a different side now to what they were seven or eight years ago, but Chelsea simply are winners, and for everything that goes on in terms of instability and managerial changes, they often find a way to win trophies.

Pressure very much on at City

Guardiola’s failure to win a trophy in his first season at City, as well as his constant references to the 2017/18 campaign, has placed an enormous amount of pressure on himself and his squad for this term.

Quite simply, anything less than at least the Premier League title or Champions League success will surely be deemed a failure this season, which means that Mendy and the rest of the City squad will have to be at their best for the entirety of the campaign.

That’s not easy to do in your first season in the Premier League, but Mendy has been brought in to bolster the full-back department which often let City down last term and, as such, he’s got to produce the goods straight away.

The pressure is very much on at City, perhaps more so than it is at Chelsea, and Mendy must respond to that.

It’s all there at Chelsea

Chelsea won the Premier League title at a canter last season, so much so that the foundations are already in place for a player like Mendy to go in and improve the personnel.

Antonio Conte’s men played with three at the back for much of last term and that is now what Guardiola is looking to implement – there’s going to be quite a big change at the Etihad Stadium over the course of the campaign, whereas it’s all there at Chelsea after a season of success.

Guardiola has got the tougher job on his hands transforming that City side from last term, and as such success is not a given, whereas Conte has everything in place to build upon last season and challenge for major honours once again.

City are building something, without doubt, but Chelsea are already 12 months ahead, and given the short span of a professional footballer’s peak spell, 12 months could be everything.