Get ready for the Chelsea Season Forecast 2025/26, highlighting player acquisitions, lofty ambitions and what to anticipate this season at the Bridge…
FourFourTwo’s Chelsea Season Preview 2025/26
FFT’s view
The plan
Chelsea have returned to their expected position, but the journey wasn’t seamless. Enzo Maresca and team struggled, never appearing dominant yet securing a top-four spot. With Champions League games back at Stamford Bridge, the pressure and expectations intensify.
LAST SEASON
PREMIER LEAGUE 4th
FA CUP Fourth Round
LEAGUE CUP Fourth Round
CONFERENCE LEAGUE Winners
TOP SCORER (ALL COMPS) Cole Palmer (15)
Last year’s Conference League enabled broader team usage and experimental picks like Tyrique George. Now? It’s a full-speed race across four competitions, and Chelsea’s youthful, extensive squad – set to expand even more as Todd Boehly continues his activities – faces significant challenges multiple times per week. Improvement must be clear, and showings must be impactful. Shift from promises to results.
The Coach
Enzo Maresca still has areas for growth. He demonstrates tactical understanding at times, and Reece James’ second-half entry in the Conference League final was game-changing, but Chelsea supporters, who desire charm and assurance, view him as short of top-tier. The evaluation continues in SW6.
Key Player
Everything goes through Cole Palmer – scores, setups, pace. He must remain pivotal, both in position and importance. Keep it simple, Enzo: structure the team around him or risk collapse. The Blues were hard to watch during the relaxed 23-year-old’s barren 18-game spell.
Lesson From Last Year
Chelsea seemed poised for success in early 2024/25, only to falter when it counted. By mid-December, they were close to Liverpool, but declined with only two wins in 10 until late February.
FFT’S SEASON PREVIEW
This preview originally appeared in FourFourTwo’s Season Preview issue which went on sale in July, available here with free delivery
If the Blues aim to be consistently competitive in the Premier League, they must use their comeback victory against Real Betis in the Conference League final as a sign of improved tenacity. Chelsea are already strong when leading, having won 20 of 26 such games; now they need to learn to grind out wins and circulate the ball faster against compact defenses.
The Mood
Understated optimism, at best. The supporters are skeptical of the ownership and Maresca’s conservative strategies, despite them resulting in the fewest significant chances allowed in the league. A trophy calmed critics, but they will return if Club World Cup fatigue affects an exhausted squad that ended 2024/25 as others started pre-season for ’25/26.
One To Watch
Liam Delap. Will he resolve Chelsea’s scoring problems and the No.9 curse? Possibly. The 22-year-old is unrefined but effective, and inconsistent Nicolas Jackson remains unreliable, so Chelsea might finally have the powerful striker they’ve lacked since Didier Drogba. A recovered Romeo Lavia, still only 21, appears a superb midfield connector.
Most Likely To…
Mimic Spurs, fluctuating between turmoil and trophies, the lower ranks and plans for a European celebration.
Least Likely To…
Finalize a goalkeeper – Boehly has wasted £85m on numerous options but will likely seek another. Robert Sanchez was responsible for five goals due to errors: a league ‘high’.
FFT Verdict
5TH New additions Delap and Joao Pedro introduce more attacking threat to an inconsistent attack prone to small crises.
The Number Cruncher
The Fan View
Can Chelsea contend for the title? Chas Early and Mouch Michaels from the Chelsea Podcast offer their insights…
This season will be different because Maresca can no longer rely on the initial BlueCo seasons as a reference point. He must now be judged against his own accomplishments.
I won’t be happy unless we display greater energy and pass forward more often.
Our key player will be Moises Caicedo, a top-tier defensive midfielder. But he is heavily utilized. Can we maintain his fitness?
Our most underrated player is Trevoh Chalobah – according to the ownership.
Look out for the confident Josh Acheampong. He excelled in last season’s Conference League.
The opposing player who annoys me is Virgil van Dijk. I find him highly overrated.
The player I wish we could bring back is probably Thibaut Courtois, unfortunately. Our goalkeeping situation needs resolution.
A social media account to follow is @1JamesCHELSEA on X for classic match material, or @dmitry.mclachbot on Bluesky for statistical breakdown.
I’m least looking forward to playing Liverpool at Anfield. Our track record there is poor.
The public enemy will be our ‘sporting directors’ Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.
Fans think our owner is uninformed about soccer.
Fans think our gaffer is back in favor after securing a return to European competition and winning the Conference League, although his strategies and actions have alienated some.
We’ll finish 4th again.
This preview originally appeared in FourFourTwo’s Season Preview issue which went on sale in July, available here with free delivery
