We’re Neto’s Team Now: A Chelsea 2024/25 Preview
As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I take a look at this team and realize – holy shit – there are so many players left…
Much like the many films of David Lean and Lukaku’s second stint as a Blue, the Premier League’s off-season has absolutely flown by. It was just three short months ago that Chelsea supporters were praising Poch for the strong finish to the season and all were thrilled to see what he could turn Cole Palmer into with the addition of a healthy Reece James and another year under the belts of his starlet midfield.
Fast forward to now and… Reece has picked up another hamstring injury, little Enzo looks completely lost in big Enzo’s new system, and we can only hope that the slightly new and improved offense (more on that later) can help shoulder some of Palmer’s load.
But through all of that, we’ve arrived at the dawn of another Premier League season. Gone are Luton Town, Burnley, and Sheffield United; back are Ipswich, Leicester, and Southampton; and Chelsea finds themselves with a bloated squad, an unproven coach, and significantly more questions than answers. Here are the five big ones I’m keeping a close eye on with the 2024-25 campaign ready to start.
Will Maresca Be Given Time to Fail?
Well, no – this is Chelsea. The team looked stale, uninterested, and confused throughout its US pre-season tour (albeit without many of their key internationals who were taking some time off post-Euros). If that proves to continue, big Enzo’s gonna be feeling the heat quicker than Palmer can help chill things out with a worldie or two.
The team is huge, unproven, and with the departure of Thiago, Chelsea’s now looking to Sterling and Chilwell as the two remaining “experienced” players, both of whom might be gone by the time the transfer window closes (Gallagher’s in purgatory or else he’d be considered a wisened corporal within these ranks). Obviously it took the team a long while to gel under Poch too, but after spending another $200+ million this offseason, the owners are going to be looking to big Enzo to help take this team solidly into the top four, which on 8/16/2024 feels like a complete fantasy.
Can Reece James Stay Healthy?
Chelsea are a completely different team when their captain, leader, and arguably most impactful player is fully fit. Reece James is a top-five right back on the planet and can simply do things with ease that others on this team cannot (remember when he came on vs. Forest to assist the winner at the end of last season? Me too.).
Coming into the summer, he was back at full strength and while he was set to miss the first three games of the season for a red at the end of the last campaign, it might end up as a slight silver lining as he’s reportedly picked up another hamstring injury and would be forced to sit anyway. While they’re saying it’s minor, if Reece can play 80% of the minutes this season that he’s available, even if it’s in Maresca’s new system that might send him more into the midfield vs. shooting up and down the flank, he is a massive difference maker on this team. Let us pray to the muscle/tendon/ligament gods for safe passage.
Can Cole Palmer Even Come Close to Last Season’s Output?
Realistically? No, and nor should he. Palmer had 33 combined goals and assists last season, which led the entire league and is absolutely huge for a guy in his first year of actual real first-team game time. However, a lot of that also came down to penalties and the fact that no one else on the team really knew how to finish (although Nicholas Jackson somehow did finish with 14 goals and five assists by season’s end).
With a healthy Christopher Nkunku, a potential jump from Noni Madueke (assuming he isn’t sold) who has looked supercharged in Maresca’s system during the pre-season, and the addition of one of the best overall scorers in the league in Pedro Neto (huge asterisk, when he’s healthy), Palmer should get to distribute more and be relied on less for scoring all the goals. Key word being “should” in this scenario. Follow up question: can Cole Palmer please try a different hairstyle, maybe something more inline with any style post-Crusades? Just a thought.
Seriously Though, Who Is the Number One Striker Option?
Ah yes, that. As mentioned before, whilst Jackson’s first half of the season wasn’t particularly productive my any modern metrics outside of yellow cards incurred (never forget this honestly impressive blunder), he really did start to blossom in the second half of the campaign – which, considering it was his first professional season playing primarily as a number nine, was a good sign.
That said, Chelsea are still very much in need of a proper, proven tip of the spear. The whispers of Victor Osimhen arriving as part of a swap with Napoli for Lukaku continue, but after the breakdown of the Samu Omorodion deal, the squad is left with infinite wingers and midfielders and very few center forward options. Maybe the Blues can get away with using Nkunku as a false nine or positioning Neto further up the field as a primary scorer, but it seems that the team is still in need of a focal point to balance out Palmer’s production. However, if we get an Osimhen Here We Go hours after I publish this, then I will be prepared to eat my ‘graphs.
What Combo Makes Up the Ideal Defensive Back Line (and Which Keeper Starts)?
Chelsea has a lot of defenders on the books. Let me refresh your memory with just how many:
- Reece James
- Mal Gusto
- Marc Cucurella
- Ben Chilwell
- Levi Colwill
- Axel Disasi (who’s hurt to start the season)
- Benoît Badiashile
- Tosin Adarabioyo
- Trevoh Chalobah (who’s publicly on the chopping block)
- Wesley Fofana (who is, in fact, alive)
Now, theoretically, between the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, UEFA Conference League, and Club World Cup, there should be plenty of opportunities for each of these guys to get playing time, along with cover for the inevitable injuries that will appear out of nowhere (seriously, protect Reece at all costs).
While we barely got to see the Chilwell/James duel bombing raid that we all hoped for when they signed Chilly-B a few seasons ago, it’s unlikely to take form this season in big Enzo’s system, which should see James and Cucurella inverting into the midfield to allow the midfielders to push further forward. As such, I think Cucurella - Collwill - Fofana - James will be the starting four when all are healthy and not serving suspensions.
It won’t be as flashy, but this quattro has the potential to be an extremely effective protectorate for the uninspired Robert Sanchez or baby-faced Filip Jorgensen, who is very tall, very Danish, and very much going to give Palmer a run for his money as the player with the worst hair on the team. (Sidenote - this clip of Sanchez screaming his lungs out at Fofana to get back to his mark could be the the upcoming season in a nutshell.) Liverpool are reportedly lining up the Georgian wall that is Giorgi Mamardashvili as the future heir to Allison’s throne… and Chelsea have picked up another goalkeeping project. Sigh.
Will We See an Actual BIG Transfer?
No disrespect to the (double-checks the list) NINE transfers Chelsea’s already brought in this summer, but none are really that splashy. Sure, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall could potentially fill the hardworking, offensively-minded midfielder hole left by Connor Gallagher (or not, if he doesn’t end up completely his move to Athleti) and Pedro Neto is the first really exciting in-the-moment transfer of the Clearlake era (yes, Palmer was obviously huge, but at the time he was really less of a stud and more of a narrow question mark), but I’m talking a “whoa” level transfer.
There were talks of Benjamin Šeško (who seemed closer to signing with Arsenal than the Blues before opting to resign at RB Leipzig) and Dušan Vlahović, but Osimhen remains the most likely mega-sized name to play at the Bridge next season. It would be fascinating to watch the team with a proper world-class nine, but I’d still rather see the owners go after a big time keeper than a striker at this point. Can someone please get Oblak on the line? Maybe that'll help Athleti balance the books.
And Now, a Few Semi-Bold Predictions for the Season Ahead:
Top Scorer: Cole Palmer
Unless a proven striker comes in, Palmer will still be the biggest threat on the team. Hopefully Jackson will continue to improve upon his strong first year leading the line and the likes of Nkunku, Dewsbury-Hall, Madueke (if he stays), and especially Neto will help shoulder the scoring and assisting. Still, Palmer is the guy, unless…
Breakout Player: Christopher Nkunku
Nkunku’s Chelsea career has been slow to develop after a string of injuries last year. But assuming he stays healthy, this is the season he’ll show why he was absolutely lethal during his ascent at RB Leipzig and why his arrival at the Bridge was so widely anticipated. While Palmer can be deadly, Nkunku can float with the ball unlike anyone else on the team. He’ll be facilitating much of the offense in Maresca’s new system and if things click into place the way big Enzo hopes, #18 will definitely make a big leap in production this season.
Fan Favorite: Romeo Lavia
Lavia could easily be the breakout of the season as well, but something tells me that while he might not be the flashiest guy on the team, he will absolutely gain the love of the Blue faithful. It’s easy to forget he was part of the same window that brought in Caicedo and little Enzo, the two guys he’ll be playing with and competing against most. There’s a reason this kid was so in demand after his one season at Southampton and with the help of Maresca, his PL2 coach at City, Lavia is fully ready to become the missing piece in the midfield.
Most Likely to Leave Before the End of the Season: Ben Chilwell
What a sad end to what could’ve been but never quite was. Chilwell lined up opposite Reece James with Thiago and Rudiger in the middle feels like a fever dream, but there was time under Tuchel where this was a reality. When fit, Chilwell is still one of the best offensive left backs in the Premier League, but after a season of injuries and setbacks, coupled with not quite fitting into Maresca’s style of play, it seems pretty clear that he’ll head out for a new challenge later this season. My guess? If Luke Shaw or Andy Robertson starts off slow this year or picks up an injury, we could see Chilly-B in red before we know it.
Finishing Spot: Fifth
As with all seasons in the Premier League, there are a lot of ifs to consider:
- If City are stagnant and take their eye off the prize…
- If Arsenal can finally stay healthy and focused…
- If Villa lack the depth needed to fight on multiple high-stakes fronts…
- If Tottenham actually show progress…
- If United figure it out, or don’t…
- If Newcastle go full Terminator mode on the league…
- If Chelsea can find the right starting 11 and reach their potential…
If that last one happens, fifth is a genuine possibility. If not, this could be a very middling season of disparate midfields, fractious backlines, exhausted goalkeepers, perturbed wingers, and a giant hole where the number nine would normally sit. And yet, there’s too much talent on this team for them to completely falter. The fact that the difference between a good season (landing in fifth) and a disappointing season (settling for sixth) is one spot shows how high this team’s floor is, but maybe how low the ceiling is at the same time. If the team gets jumps from Palmer, Nkunku, and Jackson on offense with the added firepower from Neto, along with strengthening the back line, solidifying the goalkeeping, and turning the midfield into a force to be reckoned with, who knows. But since this is Chelsea, we at least know it’ll be entertaining throughout.
Remember, there’s a fine line between tears of joy and sorrow.
