4 of Chelsea's potential breakout stars of 2024/25 season | OneFootball

Chelsea head into the 2024/25 season with over 40 players in their senior squad. Let's be clear, that's quite a lot and probably too many.

Somehow, the Blues are going to have to whittle that number down to 25 for their Premier League and UEFA Conference League campaigns, though wiggle room will be allowed when it comes to their youngest of players and those still technically part of their youth teams.

The BlueCo project has been focused on youth, so you'd imagine that Chelsea should have some young talent coming through this season under new head coach Enzo Maresca.

Here are four contenders to enjoy a breakout year for Chelsea.

Guiu has impressed in pre-season / Marc Atkins/GettyImages

It's very easy to pick holes in Chelsea's transfer business, but taking on Barcelona striker Marc Guiu at around £5m was a snip and a no-brainer, a low-risk high-reward deal which is a breath of fresh air from their more expensive transactions on lesser-proven players.

Guiu, at the very least, has looked ready for adult football during the Blues' pre-season. There have been suggestions he could be loaned out for the coming campaign, but if Chelsea are unable to get another in through the doors, then it's worth keeping the 18-year-old around and giving him minutes, particularly in Europe.

Carney Chukwuemeka

Chukwuemeka is highly rated / Thearon W. Henderson/GettyImages

20-year-old Carney Chukwuemeka has already played 27 games across two seasons at Stamford Bridge, but now he has a real chance to make his mark in west London.

He was considered one of England's top talents at youth level and has looked promising in his handful of minutes in a Chelsea shirt. With Conor Gallagher on the chopping block, there's scope for others to eat up his considerable minutes.

Technically supreme and physically imposing, Chukwuemeka has what it takes to start in the Premier League. Whether he gets that chance is another matter, though.

Ugochukwu scored Chelsea's equaliser against Inter / JUSTIN TALLIS/GettyImages

Is it easy to just name a guy who scored for Chelsea in pre-season? Yes, of course. But there's more to it than that, believe me.

As mentioned, Gallagher's expected departure - be that to Atletico Madrid or elsewhere - is massive for Maresca. He may insist on playing possession football that requires passing the opposition to death, but there will come a point where he has to stop the bleeding, prevent the conceding of sloppy goals, win second balls and bring some steel into midfield, making up for that Gallagher shortfall.

If Lesley Ugochukwu remains at Chelsea beyond the transfer deadline, that could be his role to fill. Hey, crazier things have happened.

Acheampong made his debut last season / Sebastian Frej/MB Media/GettyImages

For those unfamiliar with 18-year-old Josh Acheampong, he's a versatile defender capable of playing at both full-back and centre-back.

He's been linked with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain this window, so clearly there's some pedigree to him.

The main stumbling block to first-team minutes at Chelsea is they already have loads of defenders and can afford to shun Trevoh Chalobah. Acheampong could be benefited by the fact most of those ahead of him in the pecking order are injury prone, while the Conference League could be the perfect playground to bed himself in.