Ranking Chelsea’s Absurd Attacking Strength in Depth for 2025–26 Season | OneFootball

It’s been a characteristically busy start to the summer transfer window for Chelsea, who have prioritised bolstering Enzo Maresca’s attack for the 2025–26 season.

Their success at the Club World Cup has rationalised the recent splurge, with FIFA’s lucrative new tournament handing the Blues an obscene amount of cash in prize money.

We’ve seen Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens and João Pedro walk through the door, and reports suggest Chelsea may not be done there in rejuvenating their frontline. Despite the money they’ve spent, some might argue that they’re still without what you might call a "blue-chip" attacking star out wide and at the striker position.

Thus, given their strength in depth and the additions they’ve made, figuring out who the best options are for Maresca in attack is quite tricky.

Here‘s how Sports Illustrated ranks Chelsea’s options down both wings and up top—excluding the likes of Marc Guiu, Raheem Sterling, João Felix and Armando Broja, who are unlikely to be a part of Maresca’s plans next season.

Right Wing

Cole Palmer will be the key cog in Chelsea’s attack no matter where he plays. / IMAGO/Nicolo Campo

1. Cole Palmer

Maresca’s been in an experimental mood this summer, and we’ve seen Palmer utilised in various attacking roles. He operated as Chelsea’s No. 10 when Mauricio Pochettino was at the helm, and would often operate in tandem with Enzo Fernández as dual 10s during the Italian’s first season in charge.

Palmer does have a tendency to drift out to the right, though, and his efficacy out wide was laid bare against Real Betis in the Conference League final. The Englishman is not a touchline winger, but he boasts the requisite guile in possession to beat his man on the inside or out without possessing a notable turn of pace.

Many Chelsea supporters would prefer to have Palmer stationed central, but he can still operate from his preferred right half-space if Maresca opts to play him wide.

2. Pedro Neto

While Palmer will drift infield from a wide position, Pedro Neto is more of the Maresca winger utopia in profile. The spritely Portuguese can play down both flanks but has enjoyed the bulk of his success down the right at Stamford Bridge.

We saw against Arsenal last November that he can provide a threat when cutting onto his preferred left foot, but Neto is more effective as an in-behind runner capable of beating his man to the byline.

He’s a direct dribbler who’s found his groove under Maresca at the Club World Cup. The Portuguese international has been Chelsea’s most impressive winger at the tournament, and with Palmer likely to operate infield on Matchday 1 of the 2025–26 season, Neto is poised for a starting berth down the right.

3. Noni Madueke

Madueke started out as Maresca’s go-to guy down the right-hand side, but the manager never appeared to be the Englishman’s biggest fan. There have been questions over Madueke’s attitude and work-ethic without the ball, and he lost his starting spot to Neto towards the end of last season.

His stints on the opposite flank failed to inspire, and now there are doubts over where Madueke’s future lies. The England international looks poised to remain in London, but he could be donning Arsenal red as opposed to Chelsea blue.

If he stays at Stamford Bridge, Madueke will have to wrestle the starting spot off Neto.

4. Estêvão Willian

Chelsea supporters have been keeping a watchful eye on Palmeiras at the Club World Cup, with the highly-regarded Estêvão joining the Blues after the tournament.

The 18-year-old has lit up his homeland as a teenager, and those lazy "next Neymar" suggestions are already following him around. Estêvão, however, is considerably different to the former Santos starlet. First of all, he’s a predominantly left-footed winger who prefers to play off the right.

His summer tournament in the United States had struggled to burst into life, but there was plenty to admire about his performance against the Blues in the quarterfinals. Estêvão scored his first goal of the competition from an impressively acute angle, and he gave the proactive Marc Cucurella as good as he got during their back-and-forth duel.

The Brazilian undoubtedly has the potential to blossom into something majestic, but we can’t expect him to be a protagonist in west London right away.

Left Wing

1. Jamie Gittens

Maresca’s preference to have his wingers hugging the touchline means the addition of Gittens from Borussia Dortmund makes plenty of sense. While so many modern-day wide players prefer to cut inside and offer a greater goalscoring threat, Gittens loves to beat his man on the outside and reach the byline.

The 20-year-old is one of Europe’s most active and direct dribblers. His variation and explosivity will means Gittens can reliably create separation from his marker, and he can do the Arjen Robben trademark from the opposite flank.

While there’s room to grow in terms of nailing the final action, the Englishman seems an excellent tactical fit for Maresca.

2. Tyrique George

"Evil Saka," they call him. Tyrique George is Chelsea’s reigning Academy Player of the Year—an achievement that shouldn’t be scoffed at given the alumni—after playing sporadically for Maresca last season.

The teenager has not yet shown an ability to take over games down the left flank, but he’s been impressively productive when called upon. George has eight goal contributions in 28 first-team appearances, including a mightily important late strike at Craven Cottage which reignited Chelsea’s Champions League hopes.

The winger is a bit of a sharpshooter, but the jury’s still out as to whether he’ll develop into a superstar wide player.

Striker

João Pedro has joined the club from Brighton & Hove Albion. / IMAGO/Sportimage

1. Nicolas Jackson

Jackson’s stock has taken a considerable hit in recent months, and that’s not because he failed to build on a promising debut season on the goalscoring front. The striker’s two red cards—against Newcastle United and Flamengo—have seen many lose faith. The expectation is that he’ll be usurped by one of the club’s shiny new toys.

However, is it crazy to suggest that Jackson is still Chelsea’s best striker option? The Senegalese international isn’t the most reliable in front of goal, but he’s a disruptive physical presense who’s underrated as a facilitator and playmaker.

Jackson surely has a role to play for Maresca’s Chelsea in 2025–26, but it is a make-ore-break season.

2. João Pedro

Another summer addition, Pedro is of the in-between type. No. 9 or No. 10? He’s probably somwhere in the middle.

The Brazilian functions well off a target-man forward and has a tendency to drop deep in a bid to smoothen out his team’s build-up play. He’s perhaps more refined than Chelsea’s alternatives in a withdrawn role, but he’ll require out-to-in runners from out wide if the Blues are to have success with Pedro as their No. 9. Instead, he could work alongside Palmer behind Jackson or Delap.

While undeniably talented with a chip on his shoulder, we haven’t seen enough of Pedro as a goalscorer to suggest he should be Chelsea’s starting No. 9 from the get-go.

3. Liam Delap

Maresca coached Delap at Manchester City, and the former Ipswich Town striker also has experience playing with Chelsea’s primary playmaker, Palmer. Such relationships should see Delap settle with some ease at Stamford Bridge, and he boasts the ruggedness of previous No. 9s who were successful in west London.

The striker’s first Premier League season was laden with promise, and there have been bright sparks in the United States this summer. Delap requires refinement in several areas, but he’s a bullish channel-runner who excels in transition. That’s where much of his success came at Ipswich.

Delap is more clinical than Jackson, but he leaves plenty to be desired when attempting to hold the ball up despite his physical profile. He’s certainly not a discernible upgrade on the Senegalese.

4. Christopher Nkunku

Some would argue that Nkunku’s Chelsea career was doomed from the outset. He suffered a devastating knee injury during his first preseason with the Blues after arriving to much fanfare, and has struggled to carve out a starting role since.

Nkunku is a great connector between the lines who’s more of a playmaker than finisher, but it seems as if he’s been shoe-horned into less-than-ideal roles under Maresca. Palmer’s arrival and subsequent rise from a No. 10 position limited Nkunku’s influence under Poch, and Maresca tried to utilise him up top during his first season in charge.

But Nkunku is no striker. While there’s scope for the Frenchman to thrive in tandem with Palmer between the lines, he shouldn’t be considered anything more than a last resort up top heading into 2025–26 given the alternative options.