Chelsea endured a tumultuous 2024, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
Mauricio Pochettino’s one season in charge at Stamford Bridge ended in May, leaving Chelsea with a vacant managerial position once again.
The Blues opted for a big name and instead appointed Enzo Maresca, who led Leicester City’s promotion to the Premier League. The Italian got off to a slow start in west London but has since found his feet, with the future bright for the two-time European champions.
While fans will be eager to find out what 2025 will bring, let’s take a closer look Chelseaof 2024.
Not even the most ardent football hipster can deny that Cole Palmer he has been Chelsea’s shining light in 2024. The Blues were often a one-man team in the first half of the calendar year, with Palmer’s wit and brilliance in each and every outing.
The England international has been a sensation since swapping Manchester for the capital at the start of 2023/24, finishing last term as Premier League Young Player of the Season. He has the invaluable ability to make the difficult look simple, regularly dragging Chelsea to victory with his goals and assists.
Despite being much maligned during his first season at Chelsea, Nicholas Jackson he still scored 17 goals last season. That record was marred by consistent, high-profile mistakes, but the signs were overwhelmingly positive for a young player adjusting to life in the world’s fiercest division.
Jackson finished last season with four goals in his last five Premier League appearances and continued his stellar goalscoring form at the start of Maresca’s reign. He scored nine goals in 2024 under the Italian manager and has transformed from an unreliable finisher to a clinical marksman.
Chelsea have become famous for almost exclusively recruiting young stars and now have a squad packed with some of the most impressive talent in Europe. However, their young leader in 2024 was one of their own Levi Colwill dazzling for the blues.
After an impressive loan spell with Brighton & Hove Albion, Colwill quickly found a starting place in the Chelsea team under Pochettino, a position he has held comfortably since being appointed by Maresca.
The England international has the confidence, athleticism and tactical intelligence of a senior star and has been a consistent and impressive presence at the heart of an often shifting backline.
Unsurprisingly, it is Chelsea’s main player who also tops their goalscoring charts. A relentless calendar year saw Palmer score 29 goals in just 47 appearances for the Blues in all competitions, equaling Liverpool star Mohamed Salah’s tally and sitting just nine goals behind former Manchester City team-mate Erling Haaland .
Palmer’s 12 goals in 2024/25 so far means he could yet surpass his impressive tally of 25 strikes in 2023/24 as he continues to develop into a truly lethal attacking midfielder.
None of Chelsea’s many signings in 2024 have yet hit their stride. Most have struggled to become a star-studded and now established first team, but there have been positive early signs from their more expensive summer recruitment, Pedro Neto.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers winger has long been admired by Europe’s elite, with injuries preventing him from reaching elite level. Chelsea dodged £54m during the summer
Three goals and four assists isn’t a devastating number for someone of Neto’s quality, but the 24-year-old has the potential and raw talent to burst into life in the coming months and years.
Chelsea went trophyless in 2024 and endured some rough patches, but there were also some incredibly memorable exits. The Blues have often saved the best for their traditional rivals and were able to produce one of the Premier League’s most astonishing comebacks in April.
3-2 at home to Manchester United in the dying embers at Stamford Bridge, goals from Palmer in the 100th and 101st minutes ensured. a surprising 4-3 win. It was the highlight of an often successful year and a game that will live long in the memory.
