Chelsea are back in England after a defeating fellow Premier League sides to claim the inaugural Premier League summer series.
Five different states, in hot, muggy conditions laid the foundations for a successful first pre-season for Mauricio Pochettino as manager of the Blues, as they look to move on from a disastrous 2022/23 season where they finished in 12th place.
Loanees have returned to the club, whilst another raft of new signings have arrived in west London, as the Chelsea rebuild continues to take shape.
Here we look at the winners and losers from the US tour…
Winners
Nicolas Jackson
What a start to his Chelsea career that Nicolas Jackson has had. Heading back to England after two goals and three assists, the Senegalese international is looking every bit of the player that the Blues signed for £35 million on an eight-year contract from Spanish side Villarreal. Linked up well with fellow arrival Christopher Nkunku throughout their time together in the States and proved to be a handful with defenders thanks to his lightening speed, strength and tidy footwork. A player Chelsea fans can really get excited about.
Andrey Santos
Signed in January, Santos was loaned back to Brazilian side Vasco de Gama for the rest of the season as the club waited for his UK visa to be sorted. With that issue now resolved, Santos has got stuck in straight away, impressing in his three starts so far, as he looks to stake a claim for a place in the Chelsea team this season. Still only 19, Santos has plenty of time to develop into the player the Blues hope he will become, with it now up to manager Mauricio Pochettino to decide where his development would be best placed this campaign.
Ian Maatsen
Another returning loanee, but no stranger to Chelsea is versatile young Dutchman Ian Maatsen. The left-back, who returns to the club after a productive loan spell away to Championship winners Burnley, is another to have had a promising pre-season tour. Used predominantly as a right sided forward to accompany Nkunku and Jackson, the 21-year-old shined with two goals and an assist. Once again it is up to Pochettino as to whether Maatsen stays this summer, and if he does, where to play him. A good problem for the Argentine to have.
Losers
Marc Cucurella
At fault for one of Brighton’s goals against Chelsea in the Premier League summer series, it feels like it will be another season of struggle for the £62 million Spaniard. The 25-year-old appears to be second in pecking order behind Chilwell, with youngster Maatsen even threatening the Spanish international’s place in the Blues squad. Cucurella will be hoping the arrival of Pochettino can help him regain the form that brought him to Chelsea in the first place.
Kepa
With the news that Chelsea have agreed a £25 million fee for Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, it appears Kepa Arrizabalaga has potentially missed out on the opportunity to solidify his position as the Blues’ number one this season. One clean sheet in four games against mostly Premier League opposition will not do the Spanish international’s confidence the world of good, but with the arrival of Sanchez, it might just be the confidence boost the Spaniard needs.
Raheem Sterling
A second Chelsea pre-season for England international, who, like a lot of Blues players, will be looking to put last season behind them. It was thought a new lease of life under the reign of Pochettino would benefit the 28-year-old, but the former Manchester City forward offered little in comparison to his younger, less experienced teammates. There is still time for Sterling to recover the form he had that made him a four-time Premier League winner, but the Englishman will need to speed that process up to convince the new manager that he deserves a starting spot in the team.
