Noni Madueke is reportedly set to make a move across London to join Arsenal from Chelsea.
The Englishman only joined Chelsea in January 2023, playing 92 times for the Blues across all competitions. He’s scored 20 goals during that time, providing nine assists.
But the Blues have worked hard on bolstering their attack this summer. Chelsea have signed Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Jamie Gittens already. And Estevao is officially a Chelsea player now, after agreeing a move last year.
The question on everyone’s lips now, though, is how can Chelsea fit all of their attacking players in the team?
Some more departures are expected — whether on loan or permanent — to cut down the pool slightly. Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku could all leave this summer.
How to watch Chelsea vs PSG
TV (UK/Ireland): Channel 5
Live Stream (UK/Ireland and Rest of World*): DAZN
*Excludes Ukraine, France, Netherlands, China, Algeria, Bahrain, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen
DAZN are streaming the Club World Cup Final live for account holders. Those without an account already can take advantage of their 30-day free trial** by signing up through the link above.
**Geo-restrictions apply.
| Date and time | Fixture | Link | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13/07 - 20:00 | Chelsea vs PSG | Sign up here to watch | |||||
| *All times BST. | |||||||
So, how could Enzo Maresca line up his Chelsea attack this summer? We’ve taken a look at three unique setups that he could use across the campaign.
A fresh look
Maresca has favoured the 4-2-3-1 at Chelsea, and that looks unlikely to change. But we may see some new personnel thrown in for the 2025-26 season. And a couple of position changes.
Perhaps the biggest call will be to drop Nicolas Jackson for Liam Delap as the first-choice striker. Jackson has done well for Chelsea, and his movement and runs are the best part of his game. Not to mention Chelsea looked poorer without him when he was injured at the start of 2025. Jackson has averaged 0.43 goals per 90 minutes for Chelsea in the Premier League since joining two years ago.
But it feels like patience is wearing thin, especially with Jackson being sent off twice in his past four games. Chelsea have to start the new season without him, and Delap will be hoping to take his chance. Delap averaged 0.41 goals per 90 last season, which was slightly better than Jackson’s 0.40. But there are high hopes for Delap, including from former Chelsea centre-back Gary Cahill.
“I’ve always said they [Chelsea] need a proper 20-goal-a-season striker and I think Liam Delap fits the bill perfectly,” Cahill told BetMGM.
“He looks great business to me and I think he’ll do really well at Chelsea.”
Then there’s the arrival of Joao Pedro. The Brazilian played in a variety of positions across the front line for Brighton and Hove Albion, though 43% of his league minutes last season came as a centre forward. He also scored two goals against Fluminense for Chelsea as a striker — in the absence of the suspended Delap. But that’s not likely to be his long-term role for Chelsea.
Pedro playing as the No.10 would work for Chelsea, as it still allows them to play with a fluid attack. Despite getting 71% of his league minutes for Brighton last season through the middle, Pedro was known to drift to the left. He provided a threat both in terms of scoring goals and creating them, netting 0.46 goals per 90 with 0.28 assists. They came from 0.41 Expected Goals per 90, and 0.2 Expected Assists — both decent returns for a player without a set position in a team.
With Pedro playing through the middle, we would see Cole Palmer switch back out to the right. The Englishman was played more central last season than in his first Chelsea campaign, with mixed results. Although he created around the same amount of chances per 90 across the two campaigns, Palmer provided 0.38 assists per 90 in 2023-24 compared to just 0.23 per 90 in 2024-25.
Palmer also scored more goals per 90 in 2023-24 (0.76) compared to 2024-25 (0.42), and his first season was still better when you take out penalties. This is despite Palmer having more non-penalty xG overall last season at 11.8 to 9.6.
It was Palmer’s finishing that left him down. But back on the right — and with Delap as the striker — there will be less pressure on Palmer to have to do everything himself.
And, finally, Pedro Neto. The Portuguese forward played through the middle and on both flanks for Chelsea last season. He was popping up more on the right towards the end of the season, but the left is the best. And as mentioned this would be a fluid front line, so Neto, Pedro and Palmer would be able to rotate behind Delap.
Strong backups
Maresca has also used a 4-3-3 from time to time at Chelsea. He’s used it twice at the Club World Cup, losing to Flamengo and beating Fluminense with it. And it was his favoured system at Leicester City.
If Delap is the first-choice striker, Jackson would spearhead a pretty strong rotational attack. Assuming he’s still at the club with some doubts currently surrounding his future. This front three would start for a lot of Premier League clubs, and can cause problems with their direct styles.
Jackson isn’t a striker to bully defences. He wants to pull them apart with his runs, while also winning the ball high up by pressing hard. The Senegalese striker averaged 0.88 tackles per 90 in the Premier League last season, the fifth-best among strikers to play at least 1,710 minutes.
Jackson also ranked very high for possessions won in the attacking third per 90, with his 0.8 coming fourth among strikers in the Premier League. Then, of course, he is still a goal threat. Only three strikers managed more shots per 90 than Jackson’s 3.06 last season, while he ranked fourth for efforts on target (1.41 per 90).
Estevao takes up the role on the right, with a lot of promise.
The Brazilian is very much a wide player, hugging the touchline for Palmeiras a lot in the 2025 Brazilian Serie A season. He leads the way for take-ons attempted at 60 — an average of 6.45 per 90 minutes. The Brazilian has also completed 2.26 of those per 90.
Estevao isn’t the best shooter, with 0.22 shots on target per 90. But he has created 2.58 chances per 90 in the league this season. Estevao also won possession 0.86 times in the attacking third per 90.
And then we come to Jamie Gittens.
Gittens is like Madueke when it comes to volume of take-ons. But even more expressive. The Englishman averaged 7.51 attempted take-ons per 90 in the Bundesliga last season, the most of any winger with at least 1,530 minutes played. He also ranked top for take-ons completed, with 3.88 per 90.
One of Chelsea’s biggest issues on the left last season was Jadon Sancho not wanting to take his man on. Instead, Sancho would pass the ball back and sometimes bring an end to promising phases. Chelsea won’t have that issue with Gittens.
Gittens didn’t shoot as much as Madueke, but his 2.62 shots and 1.21 on target per 90 last season weren’t too bad. His shooting was better too. The Englishman averaged 0.22 xG per 90, with 0.33 post-shot xG. Combining Madueke and Gittens on the flanks with Jackson through the middle could be devastating for Chelsea.
Dabble sign-up offer: Get a £10 free bet no deposit required
New customers can get a £10 free bet without depositing into their account with excellent new bookmaker Dabble.
- Go to Dabble using this link.
- Click 'Download Now' to download the app.
- Create your account within the app.
- £10 free bets will be credited following registration.
- Your bet must be wagered 1x at min odds of 1/2 (1.5) to be valid.
New customers only. Free Bets credited following registration. Must be wagered 1x at min odds of 1/2 (1.5). 7-day expiry. Stake not returned. Full T&Cs apply. 18+. Gambleaware.org
The future
This lineup isn’t likely to happen, but it’s a fun option. And it reinforces Chelsea’s depth. Maresca hasn’t used a back three at Chelsea yet, but it’s a system he’s utilised a handful of times across his managerial career. It could also get the best out of a youthful front line.
There’s been a lot of talk about Kendry Paez’s situation at Chelsea. The Brazilian was signed two years ago from Independiente del Valle but couldn’t move until he was 18. He’s now 18 and officially a Chelsea player. However, it’s been a rocky start.
The 18-year-old was initially left out of Chelsea’s travelling squad for the Club World Cup, much to his disappointment. Paez later travelled to America to train with the Blues squad, though he would not be involved in any matches.
According to reports, Paez wants to stay with Chelsea this season to learn and grow. But Chelsea are also reportedly looking to send him on loan to Strasbourg for the season. If he stays, Paez makes our young attacking line.
Tyrique George occupies the other flank in this very young front three. He has also played across the front line for Chelsea, including as a false nine. But the Englishman is very much a winger. He averaged 0.19 goals and 0.29 assists per 90 in the league and Conference League last season. George also created 1.91 chances, while taking 2.39 shots. But, again, he did only hit the target with 36% of his efforts.
Marc Guiu leads the line, as he did well during the group stage of the Conference League in 2024-25. Injury stopped him from really playing a part in the knockout stages. The Spaniard averaged 1.89 goals per 90 in the Conference League alone, from 5.98 shots and 3.78 efforts on target.
This would be a fearless front three, ready to make a mark. Maybe a generous FA Cup third round tie could see it get a runout.
