Chelsea endured a turbulent 2024, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
Mauricio Pochettino’s only season as manager at Stamford Bridge ended in May, leaving Chelsea with another managerial vacancy.
The Blues decided against a big name and instead appointed Enzo Maresca, who masterminded Leicester City’s promotion back to the Premier League. The Italian got off to a slow start in West London but has now found his feet and the future looks bright for the two-time European champions.
While fans will be excited to see what 2025 will bring, let’s take a closer look at Chelsea’s 2024.
Not even the most passionate football hipster can deny that Cole Palmer was 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 ingenuity and brilliance being relied upon in every single game.
The England international has been a sensation since moving from Manchester to the capital at the start of the 2023/24 season and finished last season as the Premier League’s Young Player of the Season. He has the invaluable ability to make the difficult look easy and regularly lead Chelsea to victory with his goals and assists.
Although he was much maligned in his first season at Chelsea, Nicholas Jackson He still scored 17 goals last season. That record was marred by consistent and conspicuous misses, but the signs were overwhelmingly positive for a young player adjusting to life in the toughest league in the world.
Jackson finished last season with four goals in his last five Premier League games, continuing his outstanding goalscoring form at the start of Maresca’s reign. Under the Italian coach, he scored nine goals in 2024 and has developed from an unreliable finisher to a clinical sniper.
Known for recruiting almost exclusively young stars, Chelsea now boast a squad filled to the brim with some of Europe’s most impressive talent. However, their leading youngster in 2024 was one of their own, with Levi Colwill brilliant for the blues.
After an impressive loan spell at Brighton & Hove Albion, Colwill quickly found a starting place in the Chelsea team under Pochettino, a position he has comfortably held since Maresca’s appointment.
The England international has the confidence, athleticism and tactical intelligence of a senior star and has been a steady and impressive presence at the heart of an often-changing defensive line.
Unsurprisingly, it is Chelsea’s top player who also leads the goalscoring list. In a relentless calendar year, Palmer scored 29 goals in just 47 appearances for the Blues in all competitions, equaling Liverpool star Mohamed Salah’s tally and just nine goals behind former Manchester City teammate Erling Haaland.
Palmer’s 12 goals so far in 2024/25 means he could surpass his impressive tally of 25 goals in 2023/24 as he continues to develop into a truly lethal attacking midfielder.
None of Chelsea’s many new signings in 2024 have succeeded so far. The majority struggled to break into a star-studded and now established first team, but there were positive early signs from their most expensive summer recruit, Pedro Neto.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers winger has long been admired by Europe’s elite, with only injuries preventing him from reaching the elite level. Chelsea spent £54m in the summer.
Three goals and four assists isn’t a devastating tally for someone of Neto’s quality, but the 24-year-old has the potential and raw talent to come to life in the coming months and years.
Chelsea went trophyless in 2024 and endured some difficult periods, but there were also some incredibly memorable games. The Blues have often saved their best for their traditional rivals and pulled off one of the Premier League’s most astonishing comebacks in April.
After trailing 3-2 at home to Manchester United in the dying embers of Stamford Bridge, goals from Palmer in the 100th and 101st minutes ensured a stunning 4-3 victory. It was the culmination of a year often marked by success and failure and a game that will be remembered for a long time.