Cole Palmer continues to inspire awe. West London’s all-powerful talisman has drawn in the headlines as if by a tractor beam, once again, but it is lazy to bill Chelsea as a one-man team.
Not anymore. Last season, Chelsea got through what in hindsight was a cardinal transitional stage thanks to the £42.5m signing from Manchester City’s brilliance, shattering expectations and dropping jaws.
| Premier League 23/24: Most Goals + Assists | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Player | Apps | G+A |
| 1. | Cole Palmer | 34 | 33 |
| 2. | Erling Haaland | 31 | 32 |
| 2= | Ollie Watkins | 37 | 32 |
| 4. | Mohamed Salah | 32 | 28 |
| 5. | Phil Foden | 35 | 27 |
| 5= | Heung-min Son | 35 | 27 |
| Sourced via Statmuse | |||
An inconsistent system is not acceptable, for obvious reasons, but the mere fact that inconsistency breeds flashes of potential was enough to suggest that something coherent and wonderful was within reach. Palmer’s potent performances allowed such promise to take root.
Now, Enzo Maresca’s side, fifth-placed in the Premier League, are a unit, playing as one. Are Chelsea imperfect? For sure. But they lie one point away from Arsenal and are starting to reap the fruits of other signings clicking into gear.
Not everyone’s quite pulling their weight though, with Enzo Fernandez’s struggles sure to be a concern for the Stamford Bridge hierarchy, especially with an influx of young talent soon to flood through the gates.
Enzo Fernandez’s diminished importance
Todd Boehly and co took the reins at Chelsea and employed a scattergun spending strategy that saw many many millions spent, though the expenditure did not translate to a positive impact on the pitch.
One of the most exciting ventures has got to be that of Fernandez, who was signed in a British record deal worth £107m, leaving Portuguese giants Benfica in January 2023 after claiming the Young Player of the Tournament with Argentina at the 2022 World Cup, having won football’s pinnacle trophy.
There’s no question about the Argentina international’s influence. As per FBref, he ranked among the top 8% of Premier League midfielders last season for passes attempted and the top 6% for progressive passes per 90, with the intelligence behind his distribution seemingly tailor-made for Maresca’s control-heavy system.
But he’s lost his starting place in the Blues lineup and it’s hard to argue that he deserves it back when Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia have formed such a strong bond in the middle of the park.
| Enzo Fernandez’s Premier League Statistics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Match Stats* | 22/23 | 23/24 | 24/25 |
| Matches (starts) | 18 (18) | 28 (26) | 8 (6) |
| Goals | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Assists | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Touches* | 93.4 | 79.2 | 55.1 |
| Pass completion | 89% | 87% | 83% |
| Key passes* | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.3 |
| Dribbles* | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Ball recoveries* | 6.9 | 5.0 | 5.2 |
| Tackles + interceptions* | 3.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| Total duels (won)* | 5.1 (53%) | 4.5 (48%) | 4.1 (46%) |
| Errors made | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Stats via Sofascore (* = per game) | |||
Though the 2022/23 campaign was one of troubled waters for Chelsea, Fernandez’s winter introduction provided cause for optimism, offering a combative and cultured taste that spoke of a prosperous Premier League career, once the Blues stabilised.
But he’s failed to rise with his team over the past 12 months and has now been rather ruthlessly benched across Chelsea’s recent top-flight fixtures, against Liverpool and Newcastle United.
Winning streak is continue at home 💙 pic.twitter.com/ERq9p1Lz2s
— Enzo Fernández (@IEnzofernandez8) October 27, 2024
There’s a place in this fast-improving Chelsea team for Fernandez’s vision and ball-playing prowess, with Maresca fielding him in a role closer to that of a number ten this season, but recent matches prove that he is not the first name on the team sheet.
And considering that Chelsea have a young talent in Kendry Paez soon to add to the Stamford Bridge ranks, there’s a possibility that Fernandez’s days as a regular starter might be numbered.
Chelsea could replace Fernandez with Kendry Paez
Perhaps that’s a stretch too far: Paez is only 17 and playing for Ecuadorian Serie A club Independiente del Valle, but his potential is something vast, and he would appear to be the perfect option to complement deep-sitting players like Caicedo and Lavia.
Chelsea signed the prodigious midfielder in June 2023 for a fee in excess of £17m, when he was merely 16 years old. Paez has since made headway in his homeland ahead of a permanent link-up with the boys in west London next summer, after his 18th birthday.
A flexible midfielder, Paez has earned acclaim for his fleet-footed dribbling and Lionel Messi-esque movements, hailed as a prospect of “insane” quality by content creator Alex Goldberg.
🥶🇪🇨 Kendry Páez becomes the second youngest player ever to score in Copa América…
…and hits the Cole Palmer celebration as Estevão did, as future Chelsea player. ❄️pic.twitter.com/R0qhXktCdu
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 26, 2024
He might not be quite as crisp as Fernandez in his passing, but Paez certainly achieves far more from an attacking standpoint with the ball at his feet, ranking among the top 1% of midfielders in divisions similar to that of the Ecuadorian top-flight for assists and the top 5% for shot-creating actions per 90, as well as the top 3% for progressive carries and 5% for successful take-ons per 90.
Moreover, Paez has already posted 12 goals and six assists across 63 senior appearances for Independiente, having starred for his nation at Copa America 2024 too.
Buttressed by Chelsea’s robust deep midfielders, he could become the architect of Maresca’s success, especially when considering the likes of Palmer and Nicolas Jackson will be plying their art across the frontline.
Chelsea are no longer the ‘Cole Palmer team’, even if the England international has retained his prolific quality and is “the best player in the Premier League”, according to Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher.
Unfortunately, Fernandez is not quite proving his worth, and with the likes of Paez soon to enter the fray, it might be that Maresca has a big decision on his hands in 2025, affording this wonderful teenage talent with more match action ahead of a permanent place higher up on the pecking order.
