The fascinating XI Chelsea could line up with in 2024/25 as Maresca awaits ANOTHER big signing

The £53 million arrival of Pedro Neto from Wolves this month takes Chelsea’s tally of signings to a whopping 35 since June 2022.

With well over £1 billion spent on incoming stars to stock a squad aimed at contending for top trophies at home and in Europe, such a wealth of options means new manager Enzo Maresca faces a serious selection headache as kick-off in the 2024-25 Premier League season nears.

Here is how Chelsea could line up this season, fitting in some of their biggest purchases and making room for one more who could yet arrive.

GK – Filip Jorgensen

A £20 million signing from Villarreal this summer, Filip Jorgensen has been brought in to challenge Robert Sanchez for the No.1 spot at Stamford Bridge.

The 6ft 3ins Denmark under-21 international, who was born in Sweden, is yet to earn a senior cap for his country and only has one full season of first-team football under his belt.

But after breaking through with the Yellow Submarine last term, Jorgensen impressed, making more saves (143) than any other goalkeeper in La Liga.

RB – Reece James

Club captain Reece James endured an injury-hit campaign in 2023-24, with the 24-year-old England international limited to just five Premier League starts.

He has missed more than 100 games due to injury already in his career and a hamstring complaint is likely to sideline him for the Blues’ season opener.

But when fit, James is one of the most well-rounded and versatile right-backs in the game and a pillar in this Chelsea side. And if he is unable to prove his fitness, 21-year-old Frenchman Malo Gusto is an outstanding back-up option.

CB – Axel Disasi

Chelsea have such depth at the centre-back position that they are looking to ship out homegrown prospect Trevoh Chalobah before the transfer window closes.

Axel Disasi, a £38.5 million signing from Monaco last summer, is a doubt for the Blues’ first Premier League fixture of the new season, but he started 29 top-flight games last term and will likely get a shot to earn a regular role again.

Pressure for his place comes from fellow Frenchmen Benoit Badiashile and £70 million 2022 signing Wesley Fofana, plus new arrival Tosin Adarabioyo, who’s joined on a free from Fulham.

CB – Levi Colwill

In the other central-defensive berth, one of the standout stars from Chelsea’s vaunted academy should be given the chance to shine among the club’s expensive recruits.

The 21-year-old one-cap England international started 20 league games for the Stamford Bridge side last term, after developing through loan spells with Huddersfield and Brighton earlier in his career.

Comfortable on the ball and a commanding presence at the back, Colwill has the potential to become the bedrock of the Blues’ backline.

LB – Marc Cucurella

Chelsea fans will be hoping Marc Cucurella can return to Stamford Bridge for the new season with the form he showed at the Euros intact.

Thus far with the Blues the £63 million left-back has struggled to replicate the kind of performances that saw him catch the eye previously with Brighton, but the 26-year-old was one of the stars of Spain’s triumph in Germany.

Ben Chilwell is eying a Chelsea exit amid interest from Manchester City, as TEAMtalk has exclusively reported, so Cucurella could have free reign to make the left side of defence his own under Maresca.

DM – Moises Caicedo

Chelsea broke the British transfer record when they beat Liverpool to the £115 million signing of Moises Caicedo from Brighton last summer, but the Ecuadorian struggled to live up to expectations for much of his debut season with the Blues.

As the Blues improved toward the end of the campaign, so too did Caicedo’s form at the heart of midfield. If Chelsea are to meet their goal of climbing back into the top four and pushing for title contention this season, they’ll need their costliest-ever signing to be at his best.

RCM – Enzo Fernandez

Argentinian playmaker Enzo Fernandez was also a British-record recruit when Chelsea signed him in January 2023, shortly after he’d shone en route to winning the World Cup with his national team.

The 23-year-old has shown flashes of the skillset that convinced the Blues to splash £106 million to buy him from Benfica and year and a half ago. But with just three goals and four assists from 46 Premier League appearances to date, Maresca will be hoping to coax a more consistent level of contribution from the midfielder.

LCM – Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

A key player in Maresca’s promotion-winning Leicester side last season, Keenan Dewsbury-Hall has followed the Italian tactician to Stamford Bridge in a £30 million deal.

The 25-year-old arrives at Stamford Bridge as one of the new manager’s trusted allies after scoring 12 goals and providing 14 assists in the Championship last term.

But he’ll face competition for a starting berth from the likes of Romeo Lavia, Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei, who was a Leicester team-mate last season while on loan from the Blues.

RW – Cole Palmer

If there is one player within Chelsea’s bloated and talent-packed squad who is assured of his starting place going into the 2024-25 season, it’s Cole Palmer.

Eyebrows were raised last summer when the west London side forked out £42.5 million to sign a player who’d only made three Premier League starts for boyhood club Manchester City.

But Palmer has silenced all doubters. After 22 goals and 11 assists from 33 league appearances for the Blues last season, Palmer’s transfer fee now looks a bargain.

LW – Pedro Neto

The latest in Chelsea’s long list of expensive new arrivals, Pedro Neto has joined from Wolves in a £53 million deal, with the Blues fending off rival interest from Tottenham and Manchester City to land the Portuguese winger.

The 24-year-old has established himself as one of the most dynamic creative players in the Premier League since signing for Wolves from Braga in his homeland in 2019, providing nine assists last term.

One lingering doubt around Neto’s Stamford Bridge signing is his sketchy injury record, but with Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke vying for a starting spot on the wings, Chelsea are well stocked to absorb any absences.

ST – Victor Osimhen

After a move to sign Samu Omorodion from Atletico Madrid collapsed, Chelsea are reportedly hastily returning to the transfer market in an effort to bolster Maresca’s attacking options with a new striker. And long-time target Victor Osimhen is the man they want.

As TEAMtalk recently revealed, the Blues have made advances in their negotiations for the Nigeria international, who has scored 76 goals in 133 games for Napoli. Chelsea would prefer to include players in a part-exchange deal rather than stump up the Italian side’s reported £112 million asking price in full.

It will be a difficult move to pull off, but even if Chelsea are unsuccessful in their Osimhen pursuit, they have strong options already in house for the role at the point of Maresca’s front line.

Nicolas Jackson, a £30 million signing from Villarreal last summer, scored 14 league goals from 31 starts in 2023-24 despite widespread criticism. And versatile French forward Christopher Nkunku will be hoping for a cleaner bill of health and to add to his three goals from two Premier League starts last term.

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