Chelsea: 4 Rising Stars Poised To Shine In The 2024/25 Season

Chelsea is entering 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.

The Blues will need to trim their squad to 25 players for their Premier League UEFA Conference League campaigns.

However, there will be some flexibility regarding the 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.

Marc Guiu

Chelsea’s Marc Guiu against Inter Milan

While it’s simple to criticize Chelsea’s transfer dealings, signing Barcelona striker Marc Guiu at around £5m was a snip and a no-brainer move. It’s a low-risk, high-reward opportunity that out as a refreshing change from their more costly acquisitions of less proven players.

For Guiu, this has been an extremely positive pre-season. His bright performance was one of the only silver linings when the Blues were thrashed 4-1 by Celtic in Indiana on July 27. He then found the net with a smart, front-post header in the 3-0 win over Club America on August 1 in Atlanta.

The plan for Guiu this season was, therefore, to send him on loan, perhaps to a Championship side.

The Blues, under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, have made several peculiar decisions when it comes to personnel during their time in charge, but keeping Guiu would appear a sensible decision when reacting to recent events, notably, Omorodion’s failed move and Guiu’s superb displays.

Josh Acheampong

Chelsea defender Josh Acheampong

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

The 18-year-old defender made his Chelsea debut last season against Tottenham and was one of just two youngsters on tour in the United States from the academy.

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

The primary obstacle to Trevoh Chalobah earning first-team minutes at Chelsea is the abundance of defenders in the squad, which allows them to overlook him. Fortunately for Acheampong, he may have an advantage since many players ahead of him are susceptible to injuries.

Additionally, Conference League could serve as an ideal platform for him to establish himself.

Lesley Ugochukwu

Chelsea Lesley Ugochukwu against Inter Milan

It’s certainly straightforward to simply mention a player who scored during pre-season, but there’s much more to the story than that, trust 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.

Carney Chukwuemeka

Chelsea Midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka

Chukwuemeka, who is 20 years old, moved to the Blues from Aston Villa for a fee of £20 million in 2022. Having made 27 appearances over two seasons at Stamford Bridge, he now has a genuine opportunity to establish himself 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.