Chelsea had a first season to forget under their big-spending American owners as they finished 12th in the Premier League— their worst performance in the English top flight since the mid-1990s.
The consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital’s decision to sack Champions League-winning manager Thomas Tuchel and replace him with Graham Potter proved costly, despite over £600million outlay being invested on new players across two transfer windows. And after performances and results failed to change, they fired Potter in April and brought in Frank Lampard as an interim manager for the remainder of the campaign.
A shambolic season for the Blues ended without a permanent manager, missing out on Europe and with a bloated squad requiring major cleansing. Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to take the permanent reins at Stamford Bridge, and the Boehly-Clearlake Capital headed front will hope the decision to hire the Argentinean clicks.
However, amidst the chaos, instability and lack of direction at the club, there were a few bright spots in the recently-concluded campaign. That said, here are the three best Chelsea players from an otherwise forgettable 2022/23 season.
#Thiago Silva
Thiago Silva was Chelsea’s standout player amidst a shocking number of underperformers. With the club surrounded by chaos, the veteran defender rose to the challenge and delivered some strong performances.
Silva, 38, continues to defy all the odds despite his advancing years in the game, demonstrating why he was once regarded as one of Europe’s best defenders. For his consistently good performances and leadership skills this season, he won the Chelsea Player of the Season award.
#Enzo Fernandez
Enzo Fernandez became a sensation after winning the 2022 World Cup with Argentina in December which made a number of elite European clubs sit up and take notice. But it was Chelsea who acted swiftly and signed him in a blockbuster £107m deal from Benfica on the January transfer deadline day.
Fernandez quickly adapted to the Premier League and cemented his place at the heart of Chelsea’s midfield. The World Cup winner often looked head and shoulders above everyone in a Chelsea shirt, thus, giving a glimpse of what he could do next year with a proper pre-season under his belt.
The Argentinean midfielder will likely remain a vital component at Stamford Bridge next season, with Pochettino tasked with turning the west London club’s fortunes around.
#Lewis Hall
Lewis Hall’s emergence has got to be one of Chelsea’s rare highlights this past campaign.
The teenage midfielder-turned-left-back was handed starts against Man City and Man United in the Premier League by Frank Lampard and he didn’t disappoint, regardless of Chelsea’s 1-0 and 4-1 defeats respectively.
Hall is a talented player who looks to have a bright future ahead in the game. The Cobham academy graduate is the only Chelsea player to see his stock rise, and with Pochettino known for nurturing young talents and giving them opportunities in the first team, he will want to impress the new manager in the pre-season.