Eno Maresca has enjoyed a solid start to life at Chelsea, losing just twice since the 2024/25 campaign kicked off a couple of months ago.
Stability is needed at the club, especially if Todd Boehly wants to win trophies. With Maresca, it finally looks like he has found a manager who could be the ideal long-term option for the Stamford Bridge outfit.
A student of Pep Guardiola, the Italian has already gotten his team to play with a distinct style during the season’s opening months, as several of his summer signings have settled in well.
Chelsea’s summer transfer business
Since Boehly took over in 2022, the club has spent unfathomable amounts of money in the transfer window for little return.
Indeed, players such as Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Roméo Lavia have failed to demonstrate their true talents, despite totalling nearly £300m in transfer fees.
First Impressions
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Maresca made 11 signings during the summer, with importance being placed on youth as several players have clearly been earmarked as future stars.
Renato Veiga looks like an exciting prospect for the future, already featuring eight times for the Blues, scoring once and assisting once.
Jadon Sancho was perhaps a surprise signing towards the end of the transfer window, but the English winger is enjoying his new surroundings following his loan move from Manchester United. Indeed, after five matches for the club, he has registered three assists, enjoying somewhat of a revival in London.
If these summer arrivals can continue to click, then Chelsea will be a legitimate contender to secure a top four finish in the Premier League this season.
Maresca will be hoping he can unearth a star who could become a key part of his team for the next few years, similar to N’Golo Kante, who was arguably one of the best signings made by the Blues in the previous decade.
N’Golo Kante’s Chelsea record
The French midfielder enjoyed a wonderful season at Leicester City during 2015/16, becoming a vital cog in their midfield as the club claimed a stunning league title win.
Antonio Conte was impressed, shelling out just over £30m for the player, a move which would immediately pay off.
“He is a perfect fit in terms of Antonio Conte’s philosophies and the style of football he wants to play.” Said Chelsea’s technical director Michael Emenalo upon his arrival at Stamford Bridge, wasting no time in settling into to Conte’s tactical system.
Kante missed just three league matches in his maiden campaign for Chelsea, as Conte led the team to another Premier League triumph, prevailing with a 3-5-2 formation which saw the club go on an impressive 13-game win streak.
The next few years saw the Frenchman establish himself as one of the finest defensive midfielders in Europe, adding the FA Cup to his collection in 2018, before starring for France at the 2018 World Cup as they won their second world title.
Europa League and Champions League titles followed in 2019 and 2021 before Kante finally departed the Blues in 2023 after making a total of 269 appearances for the club in seven years.
Season
Games
Goals
Assists
2022/23
9
0
1
2021/22
42
2
5
2020/21
48
0
3
2019/20
28
3
0
2018/19
53
5
4
2017/18
48
1
2
2016/17
41
2
1
In truth, they have failed to truly replace the qualities he offered in his prime, as Fernandez and Caicedo haven’t quite lived up to their lavish transfer fees since joining the Blues.
Might Conte have signed a perfect heir for the Frenchman back in 2017, however? As Tiemoue Bakayoko was signed in the summer of 2017.
How much Tiemoue Bakayoko cost Chelsea
Having led Chelsea to the Premier League title in his maiden season at the club, Conte was aiming to repeat the trick. This meant signing a few players that summer which could add something to his squad.
£40m was spent on the midfielder, who joined from AS Monaco and was heralded as one of the brightest talents in Europe, suggesting the move was something of a coup by Conte.
Former Premier League goalkeeper Shaka Hislop praised the youngster upon signing for Chelsea, saying: “Bakayoko certainly came to the fore at Monaco, you see his talents. I think he would be the perfect counter to N’Golo Kante.
“They’re very similar in their style, Bakayoko not as good defensively but Kante not as good in terms of precision of pass and his own passing range.”
On the surface, Bakayoko looked like an impressive piece of business. The reality was very different…
Tiemoue Bakayoko’s Chelsea statistics
During the 2017/18 season, the midfielder made 43 appearances for the Blues, registering six goal contributions in the process, but his performances didn’t quite live up to the money Conte had spent on the player.
The long-term partnership with Kante failed to materialise and when Conte departed in 2018, new manager Maurizio Sarri clearly didn’t quite see a future for Bakayoko in his squad.
Loan moves to AC Milan (twice), Monaco and Napoli over the next five seasons meant the Frenchman made a total of just 43 appearances for the Blues, spending the rest of his time at the club out on loan to various teams.
He could have been the long-term heir to Kante had he impressed under Conte, but it turned out to be a dreadful piece of business.
In the summer of 2023, the 30-year-old was finally released from his Chelsea contract, freeing up some room in the first team squad.
He should have enjoyed a wonderful spell at the club following his move from Monaco, but for whatever reason, he failed to truly settle in England.
Spending £40m on a player to then release him just six years later indicates the club had a nightmare on his signing. Maresca will be hoping to avoid such transfers during his spell in charge of the club, no doubt about that.
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