Chelsea have in no way made an ideal begin to the 2025/26 season, however their dramatic victory over Liverpool earlier than the October worldwide break ensured they stayed inside a distance of the Premier League leaders.
Eyebrows had been raised when BlueCo parted with Mauricio Pochettino in 2024 and changed him with Enzo Maresca, a ‘Pep Protege’ and beginner on the scene, albeit excelling within the Championship with Leicester Metropolis. However Maresca has taken Chelsea again into the Champions League, and he gained the Convention League and Membership World Cup final 12 months.
Now, sights are set on the following stage, and whereas the Londoners hope to hit their targets and surpass them this season, with abilities equivalent to Estevao Willian reducing their tooth at Stamford Bridge, there’s greater than slightly trigger for optimism.
Estevao is Chelsea’s new star
Typically, you’ll be able to simply inform. When Cole Palmer clicked into gear two years in the past, after becoming a member of from Manchester Metropolis, you could possibly simply inform. And now, the identical is true for Estevao.
Described as having the potential to be a “future Ballon d’Or winner” by analyst Ben Mattinson, the Brazil worldwide, nonetheless solely 18, has already scored and assisted within the Premier League this season, averaging 1.8 dribbles per sport, as per Sofascore.
His objective towards Liverpool rubber-stamped his status as a high-level expertise, however Estevao has lengthy been considered a one-of-a-kind form of up-and-comer. To place that one other method, Chelsea really feel they’ve signed a participant who will dominate throughout England and Europe for a few years to return.
A flexible and fleet-footed winger, he joined Chelsea from Palmeiras this summer time after an preliminary £29m deal was put in place in Might 2024. Estevao is consultant of an impetus on signing the best youth prospects throughout the globe.
Chelsea’s prudence is not restricted to only youngsters, although. Potential stars are discovered and signed forward of time; this can be a widespread theme in west London.
And, with Maresca nonetheless questing for a highest-class striker, followers may get excited over the reminder that such a expertise has certainly been tied to Chelsea’s future, and he is exhibiting shades of 1 Didier Drogba.
Chelsea’s new model of Drogba
Drogba is likely one of the biggest strikers in Premier League historical past, and the talisman all through the richest interval of sustained success in trendy instances at Chelsea.
The membership have been dealt a blended bag at quantity 9 because the Ivorian left London, however in centre-forward Emmanuel Emegha, they could simply discover the second coming.
The 6 foot 5 Emegha, 22, will be a part of Chelsea from companion membership Strasbourg in 2026, with the Ligue 1 facet’s captain rejecting curiosity from different high golf equipment to maneuver to Stamford Bridge.
As per FBref, the Netherlands native ranks among the many high 14% of strikers throughout Europe for targets scored, the highest 3% for go completion and the highest 14% for carries into the penalty space per 90, highlighting his pure putting capability and certainly a mobility and technical ability past most of his positional friends.
Emegha, in reality, has been hailed by expertise scout Jacek Kulig for his “merely phenomenal” ending, and after scoring 14 targets and offering three assists throughout the 2024/25 marketing campaign, he has already notched six contributions from as many matches this 12 months.
Given that he’s sharpening his instruments within the French high flight and boasts a powerful and dynamic bodily profile, he might properly arrive at Chelsea and draw comparisons to Drogba, who left Marseille for London in 2004 for a £24m charge.
Chelsea’s Report Goalscorers | ||
|---|---|---|
Participant | Apps | Targets |
Frank Lampard | 648 | 211 |
Bobby Tambling | 362 | 194 |
Didier Drogba | 381 | 164 |
Kerry Dixon | 363 | 157 |
Roy Bentley | 352 | 144 |
Knowledge by way of Transfermarkt | ||
Drogba is one in every of Chelsea’s all-time report scorers, and his big-game mentality was an iconic factor. Throughout 9 seasons and two stints as a Blue, the 47-year-old gained the total gamut. His tenacity and consistency as soon as led an awed Jose Mourinho to explain him as a “outstanding” footballer.
Chelsea are constructing for the long run, alright. However there’s additionally a way that this new crop of acquisitions has been made with an eye fixed on the previous formulation too. Estevao evokes that X-factor emotion that the likes of Eden Hazard and extra earlier than him offered to the membership’s doting fanbase.
With a towering and commanding talisman like Emegha within the centre, and Estevao working riot throughout the flanks, there isn’t any telling how harmful Chelsea’s frontline will look in just a few years time.
The likes of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, who’s nursing a muscular damage, each joined Maresca’s facet this summer time, and the previous specifically appears to be like an actual risk.
However power in depth has all the time been Chelsea’s method, and Emegha has the completeness of favor within the ultimate third to make an actual distinction within the struggle for prizes within the Premier League and Champions League.
A pacy runner who has not fairly mastered the aerial sport that his lengthy body ought to allow him to flourish inside, Emegha stays a piece in progress. Final season in Ligue 1, for instance, his 14-goal haul was additionally met with 25 missed massive probabilities, emphasising the work nonetheless to be accomplished in entrance of objective.
Alongside Estevao, although, he would certainly discover his capturing boots and preserve a fearsome presence in entrance of objective. In any case, alongside his electrical tempo, the teen additionally ranks among the many high 8% of positional friends for shot-creating actions per 90 (FBref).
Shot-creating actions are items of play that result in a shot. These embrace moments equivalent to a go, take-on or foul being drawn.
The jury will stay out till Emegha will get going within the Premier League; many a proficient prospect has fallen by the wayside when arriving in England.
However there’s such high quality there, and Emegha’s bodily robustness and high quality on the ball recommend he may simply have the talents to switch the legendary Drogba and lead Chelsea to illustrious success.
