Abundant youth turn Chelsea into the most unpredictable team in the Premier League this season. But it is the youth that prevents that unpredictable transformation into a score.
The general trend of the Premier League is to rejuvenate the squad. Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal or MU all like to recruit young players. Particularly Chelsea pushes the rejuvenation policy to the extreme. Of the seven rookies landing on Stamford Bridge this summer, the “oldest” person is Joao Pedro only 23 years old. The remaining 6 players have no more than 20 years old.
The average age of the Chelsea first season has dropped to 23 years old, the youngest Premier League 2025/26. In the match against Crystal Palace in the opening round, coach Enzo Maresca launched the starting line of 24.4 average, only lower than Sunderland (24,1) and Brentford (24,3). That 0-0 draw is not necessarily disappointment because Chelsea still shows freshness in the game and promising individuals like Estevao. But the grooming, efficiency, ability to solve the match is and will be a problem for Chelsea. Rather, is the problem of young players.
Of course, Chelsea's youth is not synonymous with experience. Enzo Fernandez is only 24 years old but has been the World Cup champion. Moises Caicedo at the age of 23 played 119 matches in the Premier League in Brighton and Chelsea. And the number one star Cole Palmer also has 90 matches in the Premier League and is the Euro 2024 runner -up.
But it is difficult to dispel doubts with a young team. In the strongest squad that Maresca liked, the oldest people, goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and left -back Marc Cucurella were only 27 years old. And from the middle line upwards, 100% of the Chelsea players are born from 2000 onwards. And after the Crystal Palace draw, Estevao was suddenly praised as a new hope for the mutant -rich ball after the young Brazilian player came on in the second half. But remember that Estevao is only 18 years old and has just wet to the Premier League. Let Estevao practice breathing the harsh atmosphere here first.
Last season, Chelsea had the youngest starting lineup in the Premier League with an average age of 24 years 36 days. And do not deny the fresh vitality of the team under Maresca. But the last season of Chelsea up and down as the sinusoidal graph, after the sublimation series was a series of impossible matches. Typically, after 5 consecutive wins in December 2024 is a series of 5 matches without winning.
Maresca's young players are not brave enough in the match matches. In the 6 encounters of the trio of Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal in the Premier League last season, Chelsea won only one match against the remaining Liverpool losing 1, with Arsenal 1 draw 1 loss 1, with Man City is losing both. The fourth place last season is a good achievement of Chelsea but clearly still has a small distance between them with Liverpool, Arsenal and Man City.
That distance comes from the absence of old players in both age and age, who can support the team in difficult circumstances. Liverpool has Van Dijk, Salah. Man City has Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Gundogan. Arsenal has Declan Rice, David Raya. Chelsea still rely on Cole Palmer, a talent that has not yet been matured.
Where is the child, where is it healthy. “Chelsea is the team of the future” is just a way to say sophistication. Chelsea's great ambition is betting on the fledgling squad.
