NOTTINGHAM — At the final whistle on the final day of the season Chelsea’s players rushed all over the pitch at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground and hugged one another as they’d won 1-0 to qualify for the Champions League. The coaching staff spun around in a circle doing a little jig of celebration on the sidelines. The Chelsea fans in the away end went wild.
It was mission accomplished for Enzo Maresca and his staff, and in his first season in charge the Italian coach had taken Chelsea back to the Champions League after a two-year hiatus from Europe’s elite club competition. After spending billions since they took over in 2022, the BlueCo ownership group have returned Chelsea back to where many believe they belong. But they haven’t won the Premier League since 2017 or the Champions League since 2021. That is the next target.
The pressure was on Maresca and his young squad — Chelsea had the youngest average starting XI in the Premier League this season — as reaching the Champions League went down to the final day and there have been ups and downs all season long. But they’ve achieved their target.
“We are back their for the fans, win games for the fans. It’s where Chelsea should be as a club,” goalscoring hero at Forest, Levi Colwill, said afterwards. “We are happy to be back there.”
Usually so cool and calm, Cole Palmer’s expressions of exhaustion, delight and relief as he celebrated at the final whistle summed up how everyone connected with Chelsea are feeling at the moment. The first part of the job is done.
Now they’re back in the Champions League, how can Chelsea not only stay at Europe’s top table but thrive there? What steps do the Blues need to take next to make sure this talented young squad can keep on their upwards trajectory?
New goalkeeper, striker essential
There are two key areas where Chelsea have to upgrade this squad: in goal and up front. Robert Sanchez has made high-profile errors throughout the season and it’s clear Chelsea will look to sign a world-class goalkeeper this summer. Djorde Petrovic has had a brilliant season on loan at Strasbourg and he could come back and be a starter, but it would be surprising if Chelsea didn’t make a move for a new undisputed No. 1. They also need a top class central striker. That is hard to find, and expensive, but this summer there are some deals to be had. For the way they play Viktor Gyokeres is a good fit but they will face stiff competition to sign him with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United also in the hunt. It must be said that young striker Nicolas Jackson has surprised many this season with 10 goals and five assists in 30 Premier League games but his finishing remains erratic and if Chelsea want to take the next step they have to upgrade their main central striker. These two positions must be the priority.
Quality over quantity in busy summer
This is going to be the biggest thing Chelsea have to focus on to take the next step. They’ve built a deep, solid squad full of young talent but now they need to start putting the cherries on top. That is expensive but with cash from the Club World Cup, being back in the Champions League and sponsorship revenue, they can spend big on the right players. They need to have a quality over quantity approach this summer, which is the opposite of what they’ve done over the last few transfer windows. This young squad doesn’t need much but key additions in goal, up top and probably at center back are where they should focus their energy.
“We’ve worked so hard all season, I look at the boys as family,” Colwill said. “We all worked so hard for each other today, as you can see. We are over the moon... I think every player in the team deserves to be playing in the Champions League. They’re not just amazing players but they’ve worked so hard all season as a team, for the fans, to get Champions League. We are so happy.”
Lavia, James to stay fit
Had this duo been fit all season long Chelsea would have been a lot closer to Premier League champions Liverpool. Reece James showed his quality down the stretch and his ability to roam forward from right back when Chelsea are attacking, but also tuck in almost as an extra center back when they’re defending is so crucial. Hopefully his long-term injury issues are over and Chelsea fans will be hoping the same is true for Romeo Lavia. When he’s fit and firing on all cylinders he’s the best young holding midfielder on the planet. Lavia and Moises Caicedo starting behind Enzo Fernandez in midfield gives Chelsea an incredible engine room and with James and Caicedo interchanging and Lavia plugging defensive gaps Chelsea’s balance is so much better defensively and overall as a team.
Palmer to be given even more freedom
Cole Palmer had another sublime season and even though his stats took a dip after a long goal drought in early 2025, his creativity and vision is vital to Chelsea taking the next step. Maresca needs to give Palmer the freedom to drift around and create and with Caicedo and Lavia giving Chelsea more defensive cover in midfield, they can afford to let Palmer take more risks and be the silky maverick that he is. Palmer, only just 23, is the key to everything and will relish the pressure of the Champions League and thrives on the big occasions. Let him cook.
Maresca to evolve, but keep his angry edge
His ‘F you’ message to Chelsea’s critics after Champions League qualification was secured was telling of Enzo Maresca’s feisty edge. He may look calm and methodical but Chelsea need him to keep that angry edge and he’s creating an “us against them” mentality that his young side have responded really well to. But he also has to evolve. Even the great Pep Guardiola, who Maresca worked underneath at Manchester City, has evolved and tweaked his tactics and methods season after season. Sir Alex Ferguson did it too. Premier League teams have now had a season playing against Maresca’s Chelsea and next season they will know what to expect. So will Europe’s big boys in the Champions League. It’s now up to Maresca to evolve his tactics and add extra wrinkles, all while keeping his attractive possession-based style. And his feistiness.
“There’s so much more to come,” Colwill added when asked about how young this Chelsea side are. “We are all amazing players, and we know that. We are gaining the experience we need and we are just getting better every day... People are always going to doubt us. It’s normal. We are used to it. But like the gaffer said, everything he said is completely right and we proved them [the critics] wrong today.”
