Things are looking up for Chelsea at the moment.
Enzo Maresca’s side put a stop to their middling form in the Premier League with their incredible 2-1 over Liverpool on the weekend.
It was the sort of performance and result that could see them now go on a winning run in the after the international break.
Moreover, with the talent Todd Boehly and Co have added to the squad, plus someone soon to return whose valuation has exploded at Stamford Bridge, there is no reason the Blues couldn’t win something again this year.
How Todd Boehly's most significant signings are faring
Since taking charge of the club in 2022, Boehly and then Clearlake have invested substantial sums of money in players, and while not all have succeeded, some of Maresca’s most important players have joined under his leadership.
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For example, Moises Caicedo, who cost around £115m, is now finally looked upon as one of the very best midfielders in the Premier League, someone capable of breaking up opposition attacks and then kickstarting them for his team.
Moreover, he seems only capable of scoring absolute bangers.
It’s been a little tougher to win people over for Enzo Fernández, who also cost over £100m, but he played himself into some brilliant form by the end of last season, and seems to be getting better with each passing game this season.
Furthermore, even when he’s not playing at his best, he has been able to pop up with a goal involvement, scoring three times and providing one assist in seven league games so far this season.
Goals
0.44
Top 2%
Goals + Assists
0.58
Top 2%
Penalty Kicks Made
0.15
Top 2%
xG: Expected Goals
0.54
Top 2%
npxG: Non-Penalty xG
0.44
Top 2%
npxG + xAG
0.55
Top 2%
Progressive Passes Rec
3.93
Top 2%
GCA (Dead-ball Pass)
0.29
Top 2%
Penalty Kicks Attempted
0.15
Top 6%
npxG/Shot
0.30
Top 6%
Passes into Penalty Area
1.46
Top 6%
Goal-Creating Actions
0.58
Top 6%
Touches (Att Pen)
2.48
Top 6%
SCA (Fouls Drawn)
0.29
Top 10%
Progressive Passes
6.41
Top 14%
Then there are his underlying numbers, which help illustrate the extent of his influence over games, as according to FBref, he ranks in the top 2% of midfielders in the Premier League this season for expected goals, the top 6% for passes into the penalty area and goal-creating actions, all per 90.
Someone who endured a tough start to life in West London, but is now as undroppable as Caicedo, is Marc Cucurella.
The Spanish left-back has been sensational for the Pensioners for well over a year now, and has proven himself to be as brilliant at the defensive side of being a full-back as he is at the offensive side.
He was excellent against the Reds at the weekend and provided the assist for Estevao’s late-late winner.
However, while these three are clear examples of successful signings under the club’s new ownership, there is one international who has become the jewel in the crown, someone whose value has exploded since moving to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea's best signing under Boehly
It’ll likely come as no surprise at all that the signing in question is none other than Cole Palmer.
The former Manchester City star joined the club in the summer of 2023 for a fee of around £42.5m, including add-ons, and according to the CIES Football Observatory, is now worth up to €161m, which is about £139.5m.
In other words, the Englishman’s valuation has skyrocketed a whopping 228% in just over two years, and while that might sound absurd, it’s an increase that simply mirrors the international’s immense talent and importance to this Blues side.
For example, since making the move, the 23-year-old game-changer has made 101 appearances for the club, totalling 8095 minutes, in which he has scored 45 goals and provided 29 assists.
That translates to a world-class average of a goal involvement every 1.36 games, or every 109.39 minutes, which would be an outrageous rate of return for a number nine, but is all the more impressive considering he primarily plays on the right or in attacking midfield.
Appearances
101
Minutes
8095′
Goals
45
Assists
29
Goal Involvements per Match
0.73
Minutes per Goal Involvement
109.39′
Moreover, he isn’t some flattrack bully who scores meaningless goals; he’s someone who loves the biggest stage, as he demonstrated in the Club World Cup final, with a brace and assist against Champions League champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Finally, in addition to the sheer number of goals and the important big-game goals, the former City ace is also a great entertainer, someone capable of turning defenders inside out and getting the crowd on their feet.
It’s an outlandish comparison to make, but there is certainly an element of truth in the statement from GOAL’s Sean Walsh that he’s like “Lampard, Drogba & Hazard all in one.”
Ultimately, Chelsea have made their fair share of poor signings over the last three years or so, but they’ve also made some world-class additions, none more so than Palmer.