Chelsea have operated in the transfer market as a Champions League club in recent years, and their return to Europe’s premier club competition was cemented on the final day of the 2024–25 season.
The two-time winners have endured a relatively brief absence, with their most recent Champions League appearance arriving just two seasons ago.
The Blues have become somewhat synonymous with the competition in contemporary times, and they’re one of six Premier League clubs that will be involved in 2025–26. Given what it cost to assemble Enzo Maresca’s squad, the Italian’s achievement can only be considered the bare minimum.
Now, Chelsea have got to think about how they can compete in the Champions League, as previous iterations often did admirably. Despite the persistent personnel changes since co-owner Todd Boehly and his leadership group took charge, Maresca’s squad still has holes.
The Blues require several key additions this summer to ensure their squad is “Champions League ready”. With that in mind, here are four signings they should make.
Caoimhín Kelleher
Chelsea’s goalkeeper situation has been a mess since Édouard Mendy’s decline and subsequent departure. The club pivoted to Brighton’s Robert Sanchez two summers ago, while Villarreal’s Filip Jörgensen was signed as backup entering 2024–25.
Neither shotstopper, however, is poised to be in west London for the long haul. Maresca turned to Jörgensen off the back of one too many Sanchez errors, but then returned to the Spaniard when the Dane proved to be equally jittery between the posts.
Maresca requires an alternative option, but overseas targets will be hard to attain. It doesn’t look like Porto’s Diogo Costa or Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel will be moving on this summer. However, Chelsea could turn to a name more familiar to a Premier League audience.
With Giorgi Mamardashvili arriving from Valencia, Caoimhín Kelleher is set to leave Liverpool to finally earn a deserved starting job. The Irish goalkeeper has attracted interest from Brentford, but Chelsea should fancy getting involved in what’s bound to be a popular sweepstake. The steady and reliable Irishman is Alisson lite, and some Liverpool supporters regarded Kelleher as the ideal successor to the Brazilian at Anfield before the club moved for Euro 2024 hero Mamardashvili.
Ousmane Diomande
Chelsea certainly aren’t shy of centre-back options, and some would argue that a Wesley Fofana/Levi Colwill partnership is ready for the next level. Unfortunately, Fofana might not offer the Blues more than 10 games next year if his injury record is anything to go by, and Tosin Adarabioyo should remain nothing but a serviceable reserve. Whether Maresca views Trevoh Chalobah as a long-term option is another question.
If not, Chelsea will undoubtedly target a right-sided defender to step in when Fofana’s out, and they’ve previously been linked with Sporting CP’s Ousmane Diomande.
Sporting’s centre back has been an option for Europe’s elite ever since he burst onto the scene in Lisbon a couple of years back. His physical profile was too impressive too ignore, and we’ve since seen Diomande evolve and mature as a defender for the back-to-back Primeira Liga winners.
The 21-year-old Ivorian is adept in possession without being overly progressive and will enjoy the slow-paced nature of Maresca’s football when Chelsea are passing laterally on the halfway line. He also has no issues defending high up the pitch as a result of his standout recovery speed.
The Blues have already acquired an exciting Sporting prodigy in Geovany Quenda, and they could add what many regard as one of Europe’s premier defensive talents in Diomande.
Alejandro Garnacho
Chelsea are in the market for a right-footed winger, and supporters may prefer Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens over Alejandro Garnacho, who’s been told by Ruben Amorim to find a new club this summer.
The Argentine’s once-promising Manchester United career is veering towards a bitter conclusion, with plenty of United fans content with seeing the back of the wide player. His brother is seemingly a bit of a nuisance.
However, there's plenty of untapped potential within Garnacho which Maresca may fancy extracting. His wide players have all been of a similar level this season—perhaps harsh on Noni Madueke—and Garnacho is blessed with the electricity to explode. He’s certainly an upgrade on Jadon Sancho, whose loan move is unlikely to be made permanent.
The dynamic Garnacho can frustrate with his decision-making and shot selection, but there’s a willingness that supporters can get behind. There’s no denying his threat. We’ve seen a whole host of players thrive away from the poisoned chalice that is Old Trafford, and Garnacho’s seemingly the next who will enjoy such a fate.
Hugo Ekitiké
Eintracht Frankfurt have recently negotiated the mammoth sales of forwards Randal Kolo Muani (€95 million to Paris Saint-Germain) and Omar Marmoush (€75 million to Manchester City), and they won’t allow the coveted Hugo Ekitiké to depart for anything less than his market value this summer.
Chelsea, in desperate need of a striker after Nicolas Jackson’s frustrating sophomore year, are one of several clubs interested in signing the Frenchman.
Ektitiké flopped at PSG but has loved life in the Bundesliga, initially developing a wonderful relationship with Marmoush before taking on the mantle himself during the second half of 2024–25. He’s rather gangly in appearance and somewhat languid on the pitch, but the slender forward undeniably packs a punch.
The 22-year-old enters the summer off the back of his most prolific league campaign to date, scoring 15 goals (despite considerably underperforming his xG). However, Ekitiké has shown in Frankfurt that he’s much more than a mere sharpshooter. He’s a wily operator who can perform as a withdrawn forward willing to combine as efficiently as he functions as a channel-runner. While a striker by trade, Ekitiké boasts the dribbling repertoire of a seasoned winger and the heading ability of a dominant centre back. In short, he can hurt you in so many ways.
The sky is the limit, and the Champions League hasn’t gotten to know him yet.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Four Signings Chelsea Must Make to Compete in the Champions League.