Chelsea have by no means made a perfect start to the 2025/26 season, but their dramatic victory over Liverpool before the October international break ensured they stayed within a distance of the Premier League leaders.
Eyebrows were raised when BlueCo parted with Mauricio Pochettino in 2024 and replaced him with Enzo Maresca, a ‘Pep Protege’ and newbie on the scene, albeit excelling in the Championship with Leicester City. But Maresca has taken Chelsea back into the Champions League, and he won the Conference League and Club World Cup last year.
Now, sights are set on the next level, and while the Londoners hope to hit their targets and surpass them this season, with talents such as Estevao Willian cutting their teeth at Stamford Bridge, there’s more than a little cause for optimism.
Estevao is Chelsea's new star
Sometimes, you can just tell. When Cole Palmer clicked into gear two years ago, after joining from Manchester City, you could just tell. And now, the same is true for Estevao.
Described as having the potential to be a “future Ballon d’Or winner” by analyst Ben Mattinson, the Brazil international, still only 18, has already scored and assisted in the Premier League this season, averaging 1.8 dribbles per game, as per Sofascore.
His goal against Liverpool rubber-stamped his reputation as a high-level talent, but Estevao has long been regarded as a one-of-a-kind sort of up-and-comer. To put that another way, Chelsea feel they have signed a player who will dominate across England and Europe for many years to come.
A versatile and fleet-footed winger, he joined Chelsea from Palmeiras this summer after an initial £29m deal was put in place in May 2024. Estevao is representative of an impetus on signing the finest youth prospects across the globe.
Chelsea’s prudence isn’t restricted to just teenagers, though. Potential stars are found and signed ahead of time; this is a common theme in west London.
And, with Maresca still questing for a highest-class striker, fans might get excited over the reminder that such a talent has indeed been tied to Chelsea’s future, and he’s showing shades of one Didier Drogba.
Chelsea's new version of Drogba
Drogba is one of the greatest strikers in Premier League history, and the talisman throughout the richest period of sustained success in modern times at Chelsea.
The club have been dealt a mixed bag at number nine since the Ivorian left London, but in centre-forward Emmanuel Emegha, they might just find the second coming.
The 6 foot 5 Emegha, 22, will join Chelsea from partner club Strasbourg in 2026, with the Ligue 1 side’s captain rejecting interest from other top clubs to move to Stamford Bridge.
As per FBref, the Netherlands native ranks among the top 14% of strikers across Europe for goals scored, the top 3% for pass completion and the top 14% for carries into the penalty area per 90, highlighting his natural striking ability and indeed a mobility and technical skill beyond most of his positional peers.
Emegha, in fact, has been hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig for his “simply phenomenal” finishing, and after scoring 14 goals and providing three assists across the 2024/25 campaign, he has already notched six contributions from as many matches this year.
Given that he is sharpening his tools in the French top flight and boasts a strong and dynamic physical profile, he may well arrive at Chelsea and draw comparisons to Drogba, who left Marseille for London in 2004 for a £24m fee.
Frank Lampard
648
211
Bobby Tambling
362
194
Didier Drogba
381
164
Kerry Dixon
363
157
Roy Bentley
352
144
Drogba is one of Chelsea’s all-time record scorers, and his big-game mentality was an iconic thing. Across nine seasons and two stints as a Blue, the 47-year-old won the full gamut. His tenacity and consistency once led an awed Jose Mourinho to describe him as a “remarkable” footballer.
Chelsea are building for the future, alright. But there’s also a sense that this new crop of acquisitions has been made with an eye on the past formulas too. Estevao evokes that X-factor emotion that the likes of Eden Hazard and more before him provided to the club’s doting fanbase.
With a towering and commanding talisman like Emegha in the centre, and Estevao running riot across the flanks, there’s no telling how dangerous Chelsea’s frontline will look in a few years time.
The likes of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, who is nursing a muscular injury, both joined Maresca’s side this summer, and the former in particular looks a real threat.
But strength in depth has always been Chelsea’s way, and Emegha has the completeness of style in the final third to make a real difference in the fight for prizes in the Premier League and Champions League.
A pacy runner who has not quite mastered the aerial game that his long frame should enable him to flourish within, Emegha remains a work in progress. Last season in Ligue 1, for example, his 14-goal haul was also met with 25 missed big chances, emphasising the work still to be done in front of goal.
Alongside Estevao, though, he would surely find his shooting boots and maintain a fearsome presence in front of goal. After all, alongside his electric pace, the youngster also ranks among the top 8% of positional peers for shot-creating actions per 90 (FBref).
The jury will remain out until Emegha gets going in the Premier League; many a talented prospect has fallen by the wayside when arriving in England.
But there’s such quality there, and Emegha’s physical robustness and quality on the ball suggest he might just have the skills to replace the legendary Drogba and lead Chelsea to illustrious success.
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