After the dust settled on Chelsea’s exhilarating triumph in the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup, the focus has quickly shifted to what’s next. 

Their sensational victory over UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in the final shocked the watching world and put all of European football on high alert. 

Cole Palmer’s two strikes of the left boot were eerily similar in finesse and execution as the ball nestled into the bottom corner of Gianluigi Donnarumma’s right-hand post. In the 43rd minute, his exquisite through pass to Joao Pedro sealed the win, Man of the Match award, Golden Ball and the shiny new trophy. 

Beyond the pitch, Chelsea also walked away with close to £90million for participating in and winning the much-maligned tournament. This unexpected triumph, given the unprecedented and sometimes bizarre circumstances teams faced in the United States of America, left a massive statement: Chelsea are back. 

The UEFA Conference League winners were only at this summer’s tournament because they won the Champions League in 2021, and since the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital ownership, Chelsea have undergone a major reboot over the last three years.

Their group of undoubtedly talented young players is beginning to show signs of living up to the expectations at Stamford Bridge, and Enzo Maresca deserves huge credit for his leadership and tactical awareness. 

What this means 

The stunning win over PSG, a side many believe to be the best in Europe right now, provided the perfect end to a season that saw Chelsea return to the Champions League and also win the Conference League. 

After rallying to a top-four Premier League finish with only two defeats from their final 12 league games, the performance at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey signalled that they can now compete with the very best.

While Maresca always insisted that his team was ahead of schedule even when they looked like challenging in the title race during the first half of the 2024/25 season, the youngest team in the English top flight is now a considerable threat to rivals.  

With the first two trophies of their regime and a place amongst Europe’s elite next term, the only way is up for the Boehly-Clearlake project. Amidst a backdrop of intense criticism of their transfer strategy since taking over, Chelsea’s decision makers are now being vindicated by tangible on-pitch success.

Although the first team squad is currently on a short break ahead of the new season, a lot of work is ongoing behind-the-scenes to offload several unwanted players who are already training at Cobham.

Chelsea will remain one of the busiest teams in the transfer window despite Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap, Dario Essugo, Mamadou Sarr and Estevao Willian all joining this summer.

A window of opportunities

Already, the likes of Djordje Petrovic, Bashir Humphreys, Noni Madueke, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Marcus Bettinelli have departed the club, while Joao Felix, Raheem Sterling, Carney Chukwuemeka, Armando Broja, Ben Chilwell, Axel Disasi, Renato Veiga and Lesley Ugochukwu are all up for sale. 

The futures of Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku are also up in the air, meaning yet more outgoings as well as incomings are expected. The profit from sales and further reduction of the wage bill adds to the Club World Cup prize money which considerably helps to fund more deals for replacements and strengthen key areas.

With Chelsea looking to compete on four fronts in 2025/26, the squad will be stretched throughout the course of the campaign and it is important to have quality cover in all positions. 

The lack of post-season rest compared to their rivals will be a challenge and managing minutes or navigating fatigue is paramount. Hence, the role of new signings will be key in refreshing the squad and giving them a competitive edge in the latter stages of the season.

Chelsea have a brief pre-season scheduled with a pair of friendly fixtures against Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan at Stamford Bridge, only a week before the Premier League campaign kicks off. 

Hence, Jorrel Hato is one name that has been strongly linked with a move to West London to provide cover for Marc Cucurella. The Spain international played a total of over 5000 minutes for club and country last season and must be properly managed in the upcoming campaign. 

Hato, who can play at left-back and central defence, represents an ideal alternative to Cucurella with his versatility being a major factor for Maresca. The 19-year-old is one of Europe’s finest young talents and several English clubs have expressed an interest, with Ajax reportedly holding out for a £60million fee.

Elsewhere, Alejandro Garnacho is a name that has not left the Chelsea rumour mill throughout 2025 and it could be one to keep an eye on. The Blues are very fond of the 21-year-old and Manchester United may be tempted by a player-swap deal. 

Morgan Rogers may be another big-money transfer to Stamford Bridge should the Blues be able to broker a deal with Aston Villa. It is pertinent to note that the Villains are interested in some Chelsea players and the England international may be making a move later in the transfer window. 

Since cooling talks with AC Milan over a move for Mike Maignan, Chelsea seem uninterested in signing another first-team goalkeeper amidst Robert Sanchez’s Club World Cup heroics and Mike Penders’ reputation as one for the future. They may yet explore market opportunities should they present themselves but it appears nothing will be done for now. 

Poised for more

Chelsea are in the enviable position of being able to do anything they want in the transfer market given their healthy financial situation and allure as Club World champions. Par for the course, the business model is gaining momentum as they have been able to recoup significant profit from the sale of Madueke and Petrovic. 

The clear signs are that the Blues are assembling the best young talents across the world and although there will be the odd failed move, they can still increase the value of players in the team or out on loan.

Their methods are unconventional and at times unethical but Chelsea are building something exciting that could form the backbone of an era of success. 

They may have been inconsistent for large parts of last season, but they ultimately showed a steely determination and different ways to win football matches. At this rate, they are dark horses going into the 2025/26 Premier League campaign.