Ranking Chelsea’s Attackers: Palmer, Mudryk, and the 18 Others

Chelsea`s pursuit of forwards continues relentlessly. Since the Clearlake Capital consortium took over in the summer of 2022, they have permanently signed 19 wingers, strikers, and attacking midfielders. That figure is set to reach 20 shortly, with Borussia Dortmund`s Jamie Gittens expected to join after Joao Pedro, who signed from Brighton & Hove Albion for $69 million on Wednesday, arriving in time for the final stages of the Club World Cup.

This spending totals over half a billion dollars invested in the attack alone during the three years under Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali`s leadership. Perhaps most striking is that some of this significant expenditure felt necessary. While the specific players Chelsea chose are open to debate, by the end of last season, Enzo Maresca`s squad clearly required a left winger to replace Jadon Sancho (understandably sent back to Manchester United despite a penalty fee) and a second senior striker to either challenge or supersede Nicolas Jackson. If Chelsea aimed to leap from Champions League qualifiers to title contenders, additional high-calibre additions might be necessary.

Yet, as this extensive list will make clear, there`s much more to consider than just whether the forwards currently available to Maresca can secure major trophies. What is the market like for Raheem Sterling, two years away from his $410,000-a-week salary expiring, his value diminished by a disappointing loan spell at Arsenal? Will Deivid Washington and David Datro Fofana become the new iteration of Roman Abramovich`s “loan army,” destined to spend years moving between clubs on temporary deals, hoping one is eventually tempted into a permanent transfer?

There`s a great deal to evaluate, providing plenty of material for this ranking. Our method for separating these players is more subjective than scientific, reflecting their importance to Chelsea`s current plans and the quality of their performances in recent seasons. You`ll never guess who`s No. 1…

1. Cole Palmer

Cole Palmer is not just Chelsea`s best player; he`s a perfect example of how the recruitment strategy *should* work at Stamford Bridge. Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart weren`t hesitant to spend heavily, bringing Palmer in from the periphery of the Manchester City squad for around $55 million—a fee they could easily double or even treble should they ever decide to sell. At his peak early last season, he was arguably the best attacker in the Premier League besides Mohamed Salah, and even after a dip later on, he finished in the top 10 for both assists and goals. With Palmer, Chelsea have a player who could genuinely be a star in a championship-winning team.

2. Nicolas Jackson

Nicolas Jackson might frustrate fans on his off days, but regardless of whether the ball finds the net, he consistently does what every top striker does: he gets shots away. Last season, he averaged 3.41 non-penalty shots per 90 minutes, the same number as Erling Haaland. His non-penalty expected goals (xG) of 0.55 is also highly impressive. As the shot chart below illustrates, many of his attempts are from promising positions, with his 0.163 xG per shot being notably above the Premier League average. His strong connection with Cole Palmer is also worth noting.

There are questions about his composure in front of goal and his overall maturity, but it`s important to remember he is still only 24. Given his contract runs until just after his 32nd birthday, there`s ample time to refine the aspects that separate him from a striker at the level of Victor Osimhen.

3. Joao Pedro

Since arriving in England with Watford five years ago, Joao Pedro has always appeared to be a truly *intriguing* talent. The fundamental qualities are present, and the Brazilian`s knack for creating shots for himself and others, plus drawing fouls, points to a footballing intelligence advanced for his 23 years. Joao Pedro has been used across the entire frontline, which could indicate his versatility or perhaps a lack of specialization. Consider his goal tally: 19 in the last two Premier League seasons sounds good, but nine of those were penalties. Evaluating him as a striker, he excels at many non-striker tasks: assisting, progressing play, winning the ball back. Compared to wingers, he takes plenty of shots. Having a versatile forward is useful, but perhaps not at a cost of $70 million.

Evidently, it didn`t take long to reach the players with question marks…

4. Liam Delap

Another player whose long-term trajectory is hard to predict. Liam Delap impressed last season at Ipswich, a side that ultimately had little hope of staying up. In addition to his 12 goals, he brought genuine effort to the centre-forward role. To be generous, he averaged eight shots per 100 touches last season, more than anyone else in the Chelsea squad bar Jackson. The raw attributes are there, and he has performed well in the Club World Cup. But is he a player who can make the leap to being a starting number nine for a title-challenging team?

5. Jamie Gittens

The only player on this list technically not yet a Chelsea player, Gittens is expected to finalise his transfer from Borussia Dortmund after the Club World Cup. Upon arrival, he will add a welcome burst of pace to Maresca`s attack and a real ability to take on and beat his defender. He looked devastating in the transition-heavy Bundesliga, but his eight goals came from an expected goals tally of just 3.6. To truly thrive in England, he needs to improve his output in both creating and taking shots. At $76.1 million, this signing looks like a gamble, but Gittens shoots well and can be integrated gradually as a secondary attacker in a 4-2-3-1 setup. This could turn out very well.

6. Noni Madueke

Purely based on talent, Madueke belongs higher, perhaps in that third spot. The young winger appeared to be making a significant step forward last season, with 11 goals and four assists perhaps not fully reflecting the consistency with which the 23-year-old got into dangerous positions. Averaging three and a half shots per 90 minutes is a fantastic indicator for a winger, especially as he isn`t just boosting stats with speculative long-range efforts. If Madueke continues on his 2024-25 trajectory, he has the potential to become one of England`s top attackers relatively soon.

It`s therefore curious that Chelsea seem willing to sell him to facilitate other signings. The goal should be to roughly double their initial investment, and if they achieve that, the signing would be considered an emphatic success. Then again, if you`ve helped a player reach the brink of becoming a genuinely dangerous Premier League attacker, doesn`t it make sense for him to hit those heights while playing for your club?

7. Pedro Neto

After outbidding rivals with a deal exceeding $70 million, Chelsea got more than they could have reasonably expected from Pedro Neto in one key area: games played. His 44 appearances in all competitions surpassed his total from the previous two years at Wolves combined, hinting that Neto`s issue wasn`t just a lack of match fitness. He simply doesn`t produce end product as frequently as he should, with his six goals coming from just 3.8 expected goals. A combined 0.33 expected goals and expected assists per 90 minutes in the Premier League simply doesn`t meet the standard Chelsea should expect.

8. Estevao Willian

It`s naturally impossible to predict how the 18-year-old will adapt when he moves from Brazil to England this summer. However, at a very young age, he was already dominating in his homeland, recording 13 goals and nine assists in his age 16 season with Palmeiras. For now, it`s hard to say how Estevao Willian will settle in London, but his promising performance against Porto in the Club World Cup bodes well for his transition across the Atlantic.

9. Tyrique George

One of the clear positives from Chelsea`s participation in the Conference League was the senior game time it provided for Tyrique George. By the end of the season, his meaningful minutes with the reserve side translated into a super-sub role in the Premier League. Reports suggest the 19-year-old might be loaned out this summer, which seems a sensible decision given he looks ready for consistent playing time that Maresca might not be able to offer him.

10. Christopher Nkunku

Should a suitable offer arrive, Christopher Nkunku`s departure from Chelsea seems likely. Last season proved to be a disappointing one for the former Bundesliga Player of the Season. Given the patchy transfer record under the current ownership, it`s tempting to search for flaws that could have been identified when they signed the 27-year-old. However, it`s most probable that this was simply a case of Nkunku suffering an injury just as he looked poised for a big season, followed by Palmer seizing his number 10 role.

11. Marc Guiu

You simply cannot deny that Marc Guiu was clearly superior to the opposition in the Conference League, be it Shamrock Rovers, Astana, or others. What this means for his long-term prospects as a centre-forward at Chelsea will likely only become clear after one or two seasons spent out on loan. Nevertheless, as a $7 million acquisition, there`s relatively little downside risk for the Blues regarding the 19-year-old`s development.

12. Kendry Paez

Another player for whom only time will tell if he can make an impact in the Chelsea first team. Kendry Paez is expected to spend next season on loan at Strasbourg, representing his first step into European football for the attacking midfielder who holds records for both the youngest debutant and scorer in Ecuador`s top flight.

13. Carney Chukwuemeka

Some might argue that Carney Chukwuemeka has been included here just to make the number a nice round 20, to which we can only echo his famous words, `I prefer not to speak.` If forced to comment, I would point out that he plays the same attacking midfield position as Palmer. So, he counts.

Regarding Chukwuemeka the player, the glimpses we`ve seen in a Chelsea shirt suggest a genuinely talented prospect whose early career has been hampered by injuries. The Blues would prefer to sell the former Aston Villa player but might have to settle for another year of loaning him out, with Borussia Dortmund reportedly more open to a temporary move back to Germany than meeting Chelsea`s asking price.

14. Armando Broja

Armando Broja has been a member of that loan club for some time now, not helped by rather inflated valuations like the supposed $68.5 million Chelsea reportedly wanted for him in January 2024. In 331 Premier League minutes on loan at Everton last season, Broja managed just four shots. It seems unlikely Chelsea will get a significant price for him this summer.

15. Omari Kellyman

A case could be made for not including Kellyman on this list, given a hamstring injury last season prevented him from going out on loan, featuring in the Conference League, or getting minutes with the youth squads. However, Chelsea did spend $26 million on him last summer. That`s first-team money, even if it remains unclear whether they`ve acquired a player who can truly influence their senior side.

16. David Datro Fofana

When Chelsea signed Fofana, it seemed their scouts had uncovered a star in Norway. However, three loan spells have passed since then with little impact, and the second half of last season was spent recovering from a knee injury. The club will likely struggle to find a long-term buyer for Fofana.

17. Deivid Washington

Let`s check in on Deivid Washington, who was given an opportunity to find form back in his native Brazil with Santos…

It`s not going particularly well, is it?

18. Raheem Sterling

It`s not necessarily that these final three players are less talented than those ranked above them, nor that it`s completely impossible to imagine them forging a career at Chelsea. But it`s close to being that unlikely, especially in Sterling`s case.

Perhaps a Premier League club will take a chance on Sterling, gambling that his issues at Arsenal weren`t about lost pace but a lack of consistent minutes. You could picture him in Crystal Palace red and blue or Fulham white if he were willing to take a pay cut from his substantial wages next season. However, his struggles in north London really did look like a case of his legs having gone, suggesting he`s on the significant downward slope of an age curve that was already bending away from him even before his arrival at Chelsea.

19. Joao Felix

Among these bottom three, Joao Felix`s continued presence on the roster is the most perplexing. The club observed him closely during the second half of the 2022-23 season, where a generous assessment would be that he showed talent but wasn`t someone wise to commit long-term funds to.

Chelsea proceeded to do exactly that 10 months ago, seemingly as a financial maneuver that would allow them to sell the very useful Conor Gallagher. Now they are committed to another six years of Felix unless they can find a buyer. Perhaps a Saudi Arabian club will offer a solution, which might also be an appealing option for Felix. Without that, it`s difficult to see any straightforward paths for Chelsea besides a continuous cycle of subsidized loans.

20. Mykhailo Mudryk

While moving Sterling and Felix might be challenging financially, there is at least the possibility of finding takers. As of now, it`s hard to envision how that happens with Mykhailo Mudryk, who is facing a potential ban of up to four years following a failed drug test. It`s worth noting that even with the maximum ban from the date of his provisional suspension, he would still have two and a half years remaining on his Chelsea contract when he`s free to play again (though questions would arise about potential contract termination for gross misconduct).

Regardless of a potential ban, Mudryk has hardly been an impressive presence since Chelsea committed up to $118 million for him. The Ukrainian immediately looked like a player who struggled to effectively utilize his pace, delivering only 10 goals and 11 assists across 73 appearances.