The THREE signings Enzo Maresca must request in 2025

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 5 Jan 2025 12:54 CST
• 5 min read

Chelsea have gone from title contenders to facing an immense battle to secure Champions League football within the space of two weeks.

The Blues have picked up just two points from their last four Premier League matches, despite a kind run of fixtures that has seen them face Everton, Fulham, Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace.

Their woeful run of form comes amid Enzo Maresca’s refusal to use his substitutes bench and it’s clear that reinforcements are needed if Chelsea want to challenge for the Premier League title in 2025/26.

READ MORE: Maresca makes transfer admission after Nicolas Jackson blows chances

Across the Blues’ four-game winless run over the festive period, Maresca has only used nine substitutes from a possible 20, with four of those coming in the same game (versus Ipswich).

During the 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace, Marc Guiu and Noni Madueke were the only substitutes used by Maresca, with the former replacing Nicolas Jackson in the 81st minute and the latter coming on for Jadon Sancho five minutes later.

Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku both remained on the bench, despite Chelsea’s toothlessness in attack, meaning the pair have been unused substitutes a combined 10 times so far this season.

Maresca clearly doesn’t view them as viable options to improve Chelsea’s chances of winning as substitutes and given they cost a combined €112 million, they can only be seen as two fairly pointless signings.

READ MORE: Chelsea's 10 most expensive transfers of all time

Chelsea need suitable reinforcements

Following their dismal recent set of results, it’s clear that while Chelsea’s transfer strategy is beginning to pay off, they aren’t yet title contenders.

They will be able to fight for major honours, given the quality at Maresca’s disposal, but his squad isn’t perfect and several of his decisions have been questionable of late.

Estevao Willian and Kendry Paez could make an instant impact next summer, while Andrey Santos’ return from his loan spell at Strasbourg will also be massive.

However, Chelsea may need to make several more signings in order to challenge for the title in 2025/26.

One major issue remains Robert Sanchez in between the sticks, another comes in central defence and a third is the lack of a prolific goal-scoring winger.

GOALKEEPER

Sanchez’s shot-stopping has been impressive at times so far this campaign, but his decision-making is erratic, he often gives away possession with sloppy passes and he is almost guaranteed to produce a moment of madness every game.

Furthermore, Filip Jorgensen appears unlikely to ever usurp the Spaniard and Chelsea may need to dip into the market in order to land a replacement.

Of course, talented Belgian ‘keeper Mike Penders will join the club next summer, but he has only made four first-team appearances for KRC Genk and although he is viewed as Chelsea’s future number one, throwing him straight into the deep end would be a huge risk.

Several years out on loan, similar to Thibaut Courtois, would be a far better strategy, and Chelsea therefore need a short-term fix if they want to battle Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City over the next few years.

Mike Maignan would be the dream signing, but he’s unlikely to leave AC Milan, and as a result, Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel could be the answer.

CENTRE-BACK

Chelsea are stacked at full-back, but their options at centre-back aren’t as convincing, especially given Wesley Fofana’s concerning injury record.

Axel Disasi isn’t good enough, Tosin Adarabioyo arguably isn’t cut out to be a regular starter, Aaron Anselmino is a completely unknown quantity at the highest level, while Benoit Badiashile has been incredibly inconsistent over the past 12 months.

Josh Acheampong shone on his Premier League debut against Palace, however he is only 18 years old and although he is experienced at centre-half, he is arguably more comfortable in a right-back berth and trusting him as a regular starter would be a very bold move.

Therefore, offloading Disasi and signing a new centre-back capable of instantly improving Chelsea’s backline would be a wise decision.

An experienced leader would be the ideal choice given the number of sloppy goals the Blues have conceded this season, but Chelsea’s transfer strategy suggests that signing anyone over the age of 25 is a pipe dream.

Ousmane Diomande, Illia Zabarnyi and Tomas Araujo have all been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, although an opportunistic free transfer move for Jonathan Tah would be wise.

WINGER

Mykhailo Mudryk has been provisionally suspended for a positive doping test and it’s clear that Chelsea need a goal-scoring winger if they want to battle the very best teams in Europe.

Pedro Neto, Jadon Sancho and Noni Madueke have all impressed in patches so far this season, however they have only registered a combined eight Premier League goals between them since the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign.

Nico Williams, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Bradley Barcola, Raphinha and Ademola Lookman therefore all spring to mind as potential players that Chelsea could target in 2025.

If the Blues strengthen all three of the aforementioned positions, they could finally dream of ending their Premier League drought.