1 month ago
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New trio included
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Arriving into the 2025-26 campaign as Club World Cup and UEFA Conference League winners, expectations are high for Enzo Maresca and Chelsea to deliver further silverware this coming season. And having already spent an eye-watering €280 million on new recruits this summer, the Blues have strengthened their core starting XI as well as their squad options, whilst also clearing out the dead wood from their bloated squad. With that in mind, many would expect them to improve on their fourth-placed finish from last term and mount a genuine Premier League title challenge.
There may yet be more signings to come at Stamford Bridge, with Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho reportedly agreeing personal terms with the west London club, while Xavi Simons is firmly on their radar. But as ever on King's Road, there could be a flurry of departures too; Nicolas Jackson has been linked with Newcastle United in recent weeks.
That could affect how Maresca lines up his team heading into their Premier League opener against Crystal Palace, and it's a challenging task for any opposition manager to guess which 11 stars will step out onto the pitch as the Italian likes to rotate between his players. Transfermarkt takes a closer look at the players most likely to be in his starting XI in a week's time.
How Chelsea's first XI could line up next season
It appears Maresca has finally solved the striker conundrum that left predecessors Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino mystified after capturing João Pedro from Brighton. The Brazilian staked his claim for a first-team spot at the Club World Cup with two fine goals against Fluminense. He then bagged another delightful strike against PSG in their resounding 3-0 win in the final. His link-up with Cole Palmer was clear to see, and the Brazilian will be feeling confident about securing his spot ahead of Jackson and Liam Delap, with Palmer slotting in behind in the No. 10 role.
Other new acquisitions such as Estevao and Dario Essugo may need to be patient for their chance in the first team as they acclimatise to life in the Premier League. Maresca showed a preference for utilising Pedro Neto as a right winger during the Club World Cup and the Portugal international flourished there, scoring three goals. As a result, he's likely to continue in that role but the left flank is up for grabs.
Jamie Gittens is currently the leading candidate to fill the position, although the 20-year-old may be keeping a close eye on rumours concerning Garnacho and Chelsea's reported pursuit of RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons. Moisés Caicedo is one of the first names on the teamsheet alongside Enzo Fernández in the engine room, while Marc Cucurella and Malo Gusto are firmly established as the full-back choices under Maresca - even with Reece James fully fit.
Levi Colwill's serious knee injury will rule him out for the foreseeable future, but Maresca has a wealth of options to choose from to replace him at centre-back. New €44.2million signing Jorrel Hato is likely to get the nod ahead of Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoit Badiashile to partner Trevoh Chalobah at the heart of the defence. Maresca has already confirmed Robert Sánchez will be his No. 1 between the sticks for the forthcoming campaign, barring any injuries.
