Chelsea predictions 2024/25: Premier League finish, top goalscorer and season preview

  • Chelsea entering third season under BlueCo's ownership
  • Enzo Maresca appointed as new head coach to replace Mauricio Pochettino
  • How will the Blues fare in 2024/25?
Chelsea's hopes could rest on Cole Palmer's shoulders
Chelsea's hopes could rest on Cole Palmer's shoulders / Zac Alalouff / 90min
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It's another new season and another new era for Chelsea Football Club.

Mauricio Pochettino left his role as head coach by mutual consent at the end of a whirlwind 2023/24 campaign, and into his shoes has stepped former Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca.

The Blues continue to make headlines off the pitch for their exuberant transfer dealings, but on it, Maresca will be tasked with getting 11 players at any given time to meet lofty expectations.

Chelsea will also return to Europe after qualifying for the UEFA Conference League, which should allow the season to have a more refreshing taste compared to the week-to-week Premier League-only soap opera of last term.

Here's 90min's season preview of Chelsea's 2024/25 campaign.


Chelsea's performance in the last five seasons

If there's any club whose previous performances you should disregard heading into the new campaign, it's Chelsea. Maresca has arrived to turn Pochettino's high-intensity blueprint based on pressing into a sophisticated possessional game plan.

During his sole year at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino at least managed to turn Chelsea's fortunes around, guiding them to a sixth-place finish after coming 12th the year prior.


Season

Premier League

FA Cup

EFL Cup

Europe

2023/24

6th

SF

RU

-

2022/23

12th

R3

R3

Champions League QF

2021/22

3rd

RU

RU

Champions League QF

2020/21

4th

RU

R4

Champions League winners

2019/20

4th

RU

R4

Champions League L16


Chelsea 2024/25 squad numbers

Get ready to see a long list.

From the 2023/24 season, there's only been one notable number change, with Levi Colwill vacating Chelsea's famed 26 in order to succeed Thiago Silva as number 6.

The club are yet to assign a shirt to new signing Pedro Neto, while Kepa Arrizabalaga, Bashir Humphreys, Tino Anjorin, David Datro Fofana and Romelu Lukaku are all without registered numbers.


Number

Player

1

Robert Sanchez

2

Axel Disasi

3

Marc Cucurella

4

Tosin Adarabioyo

5

Benoit Badiashile

6

Levi Colwill

7

Raheem Sterling

8

Enzo Fernandez

10

Mykhailo Mudryk

11

Noni Madueke

12

Filip Jorgensen

13

Marcus Bettinelli

14

Trevoh Chalobah

15

Nicolas Jackson

16

Lesley Ugochukwu

17

Carney Chukwuemeka

18

Christopher Nkunku

19

Armando Broja

20

Cole Palmer

21

Ben Chilwell

22

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

23

Conor Gallagher

24

Reece James

25

Moises Caicedo

27

Malo Gusto

28

Djordje Petrovic

29

Wesley Fofana

31

Cesare Casadei

32

Tyrique George

34

Josh Acheampong

36

Deivid Washington

37

Omari Kellyman

38

Marc Guiu

40

Renato Veiga

41

Angelo Gabriel

45

Romeo Lavia

47

Lucas Bergstrom

*Numbers subject to change before end of transfer window


Chelsea summer transfers

In

Player

Joined From

Fee

Omari Kellyman

Aston Villa

£19m

Tosin Adarabioyo

Fulham

Free

Marc Guiu

Barcelona

£5m

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

Leicester City

£30m

Renato Veiga

Basel

£11.8m

Caleb Wiley

Atlanta United

£8.5m

Filip Jorgensen

Villarreal

£20.7m

Aaron Anselmino

Boca Juniors

£15.6m

Pedro Neto

Wolverhampton Wanderers

£51.3m


Out

Player

Club Joined

Fee

Jamie Cumming

Oxford United

Undisclosed

Ian Maatsen

Aston Villa

£37.5m

Hakim Ziyech

Galatasaray

£2.5m

Omari Hutchinson

Ipswich Town

£20m

Lewis Hall

Newcastle United

£28m

Thiago Silva

Fluminense

Free

Malang Sarr

Lens

Free

Andrey Santos

Strasbourg

Loan

Caleb Wiley

Strasbourg

Loan

Alfie Gilchrist

Sheffield United

Loan

Aaron Anselmino

Boca Juniors

Loan


Chelsea 2024/25 kits

Home kit


Away kit


Third kit

Chelsea have not yet released their third kit, but it is believed to be mainly black with pink accents.


Chelsea predicted top goalscorer

FBL-ENG-PR-CHELSEA-WEST HAM
Palmer came second in last year's Golden Boot standings / HENRY NICHOLLS/GettyImages

The only Premier League player to outscore Cole Palmer last season was Erling Haaland. Even if you take away penalties this term, it seems likely that the 22-year-old will be towards the top of the Golden Boot charts again.

With injuries hopefully in the rear-view mirror, there's scope for Christopher Nkunku to take on a significant portion of the scoring load having been a prolific outlet in his final two seasons at RB Leipzig.

Beyond them, Chelsea will be hoping to get a little more out of Nicolas Jackson, who ended his debut season at Stamford Bridge with a respectable 17 goals across all competitions.

Raheem Sterling has still proven a reliable enough source of goals from wide areas in his two years in west London, while 18-year-old striker Marc Guiu hasn't looked out of his depth in pre-season and could get minutes in the first team.


Chelsea predicted Premier League finish

As discussed on 90min's Chelsea season preview, there's such a wide range of outcomes for the Blues this year - they could just as easily finish third as they could 12th again.

Maresca's style will require patience from both players and fans, which may be tested if they start the campaign poorly and opposing teams are resilient in setting out deep blocks, which was his kryptonite at Leicester.

Chelsea had just finished finding out who could fit into their vision for the future under Pochettino, with many of his preferred players suiting his style of football. It will take time for Maresca to implement this new vision and get buy in from everyone at the club, from the stands to the boardroom and back down to the pitch.

With that in mind, this is likely to be another season of transition at Stamford Bridge, and Chelsea may well end up finishing closer to mid-table than a place in the UEFA Champions League.

Chelsea 2024/25 Premier League prediction - 8th


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