Player Chelsea came incredibly close to signing in the summer now has 11 goals in just nine games this season

Chelsea have enjoyed a strong start to the 2024/25 campaign under Enzo Maresca.

Nicolas Jackson has hit the ground running with six goals and three assists in just nine Premier League appearances so far this season – helping the Blues sit fifth at the time of writing.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
5	ChelseaChelsea	9	5	2	2	19	11	8	17

It is fortunate for those in the boardroom at Stamford Bridge that the Senegal international has led the line superbly this term, as a striker Chelsea narrowly missed out on is now performing to an incredibly high level.

Samu Omorodion shining at Porto after Chelsea move collapsed

Back in August, Chelsea saw a £34.5m deal to sign Samu Omorodion from Atletico Madrid collapse at the final hurdle – with a disagreement over image rights believed to be the reason.

The Blues eventually decided to take Joao Felix from Diego Simeone’s side instead, although it now seems as if the west Londoners really ought to have pushed through a deal for the 20-year-old.

Omorodion ended up moving to Porto after his proposed switch to Chelsea collapsed, where he has now remarkably scored 11 goals in just nine appearances across all competitions so far this season.

The Spain U21 international notably netted twice in the 3-3 UEFA Europa League draw against Manchester United, while also bagging a hat-trick in a 5-0 win over AVS on Monday.

West Ham also wanted to sign Omorodion – so the Hammers will surely be kicking themselves at the Olympic Games gold medalist’s efforts in Portugal.

Enzo Maresca needs Joao Felix to come good

There is no point in Chelsea looking at Omorodion, who Arsenal considered, and wondering “what if” anymore – the Blues need to just accept the situation and focus on the talent already at Stamford Bridge.

Specifically, Felix – who may not have even been signed had Omorodion arrived – needs to step up.

The Portugal international does not seem to be doing enough to impress Maresca in training, having failed to make a single Premier League start so far this season, which is disappointing for a £46.3m signing.

Hopefully, Felix does improve, or else people will surely use Omorodion’s stunning form as a stick to beat him with throughout the 2024/25 campaign.