Grading the SIXTEEN players Chelsea let go last summer by how they’re faring in 2025-26 | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca oversaw the departure of no fewer than 16 Chelsea players during the summer. We’ve assessed how each of them has been getting in 2025-26 since leaving Stamford Bridge a few months ago.

Compared to previous summers in the Todd Boehly era, it was a relatively settled summer – but there was still plenty of wheeling, dealing, ins and outs to give any decent PSR accountant their money’s worth.

These are the 16 players Chelsea sold in the summer of 2025 and how they’ve been faring at their new clubs so far this season. For the sake of brevity, we’ve only included players who made a first-team appearance for the Blues.

Marcus Bettinelli: C

We were surprised to see Bettinelli actually made one appearance for Chelsea during his four years on the club’s books (An FA Cup third round victory over Chesterfield, if you were wondering).

It’s anyone’s guess whether he’ll match that at Manchester City in his role as a third-choice bench-warmer.

Given he’s essentially taking Scott Carson’s place as homegrown box-tick, it’s difficult to accurately grade Bettinelli. A solid C for a cynical bit of football bureaucracy.

Kepa Arrizabalaga: B

A rung above Bettinelli, we all know the score with Kepa. He’s not going to usurp his compatriot David Raya at Arsenal, but he can do a job if required when rotated into the cup competitions.

The Premier League’s most expensive goalkeeper rehabilitated his reputation out on loan at Bournemouth last season, so it almost feels a shame to see him warming the bench once again.

But he’s fulfilling his remit so far, conceding just one goal in three appearances in the Gunners’ run to the League Cup semis. He even saved a penalty in the shootout victory over Crystal Palace – shame he couldn’t do that in the 2019 final, eh?

Bashir Humphreys: D

The defender made a couple of appearances for his boyhood Blues in the cup competitions but developed his skills elsewhere, out on loan at Paderborn, Swansea City and Burnley.

The 22-year-old was a solid squad player for Scott Parker’s Clarets as they achieved promotion with a 100-point tally. He couldn’t break up the rock-solid partnership of Maxime Esteve and CJ Egan-Riley, though, and tended to be drafted in at left-back.

Further opportunities have been less forthcoming since his permanent move, despite Egan-Riley’s move away potentially opening up a spot in his natural position.

In fairness, an ongoing injury issue has kept him out of most of their matchday squads. He finally made his first Premier League start for the Clarets yesterday.

Mathis Amougou: C

A pointless answer if there ever was one in the early years of the Boehly transfer merry-go-round.

The 19-year-old Frenchman played just once for Maresca’s Blues following his arrival from Saint-Etienne in January, before a swift return to Ligue 1 at BlueCo sister club Strasbourg.

Fulfilling ‘the Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall role’ in Liam Rosenior’s squad, Amougou has played the majority of his football in the Conference League this season. One to keep an eye on in the long term.

Djordje Petrovic: C-

The Serbian received rave reviews during his loan to Strasbourg last term, prompting some to question whether he was the chosen one among the Blues’ army of goalkeepers.

But after keeping the faith in Robert Sanchez, Chelsea took advantage of his burgeoning standing by selling him to Bournemouth for a sizeable £25million.

On his return to the Premier League, Petrovic has offered a reminder of why he wasn’t trusted at Chelsea.

A series of unconvincing displays for the Cherries make the decision to cash in look a very sound one.

Noni Madueke: B

Given the rivalry and social media noise, it’s inevitable that there’ll be a back-and-forth between Chelsea and Arsenal fans over who ‘won’ with the Madueke transfer.

We’re erring towards Arsenal. A reported fee of £48.5million is incredibly steep for a squad player, the jury still out on whether he makes Arteta’s best XI.

But he’s looked a solid addition, catching the eye with three goals in three Champions League appearances to date.

Let’s not go overboard, though. The winger is yet to score or assist in the Premier League and any suggestions that he’s tearing things up would be vastly overstated.

Ultimately, though, you look at replacement Jamie Gittens (signed for a similar fee), his failure to pull up any trees, and start to question Chelsea’s addiction to the transfer market.

What was the point? Is any of this really worth it?

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall: B+

“For me to leave my old club, Chelsea, it had to be for something special – a project I really believed in,” Dewsbury-Hall explained of his decision to join Everton.

We’re glad he did. He’s far too good a footballer to be warming the bench, and Chelsea no longer being in the Conference League was only going to diminish his opportunities to start games.

He’s shown he ought to be a Premier League starter with outstanding displays in Everton’s recent victories over Fulham, Manchester United, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest.

Genuinely among the best players in the country over the past month or so.

Lesley Ugochukwu: B-

When Ugochukwu signed a seven(!)-year deal with Chelsea a couple of years back, he probably didn’t envisage himself staring down a second successive relegation in 2026.

The French midfielder has shown he’s a capable Premier League footballer, but after a season on loan at Southampton, the misery continues at a Burnley side that just looks lacking in the requisite quality.

He’s scored three goals for the Clarets and has been among their standout players. Every chance his future lies at the top level, but these tough years could be the making of him.

Armando Broja: D-

The Slough-born Albania international ended a personal goalscoring drought with an injury-time equaliser in Burnley’s recent 1-1 draw at Bournemouth.

Good for him, and we hope he makes us eat our words, but we’d be amazed if he justifies his £20million transfer.

Renato Veiga: B

Swings and roundabouts for the Portuguese defender.

Villarreal are punching above their weight to sit among Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid in La Liga’s top four.

But he poured gasoline on their hopes of a fairytale title push by receiving a straight red card in their recent 2-0 home defeat to Barcelona, just as they appeared to be exerting control over the Catalan outfit.

The Yellow Submarine have also been eliminated from the Champions League with two games to spare.

That’s desperately disappointing when you consider the likes of Qarabag, Pafos and FC Copenhagen could still make it through.

Joao Felix: A-

The Portuguese playmaker is probably producing the best football of his career since his summer move away from Chelsea, notching an exceptional tally of 17 goals and six assists in just 19 appearances for his new club.

…But there’s no getting around the fact that it’s Al-Nassr. A 26-year-old playing out in the Saudi Pro League is an epic disappointment for a player once thought of as among the most talented of his generation.

The fact he’s ripping it up out in Saudi only serves as a reminder for what might have been.

Carney Chukwuemeka: C

Another talented young English player who got chewed up and spat out in the churn of the scattergun recruitment of the early Boehly years.

Still, Chelsea actually banked a small profit on the midfielder after his move to Borussia Dortmund was made permanent following last season’s successful loan. All’s well that ends well.

Chukwuemeka hasn’t shone since his £24million transfer, only starting five Bundesliga games and notching a relatively paltry return of goals and assists.

He could yet prove a decent long-term investment, but you don’t imagine he’ll be on Thomas Tuchel’s radar for the World Cup.

Christopher Nkunku: D-

On the one hand, AC Milan have upset the odds to involve themselves in the Serie A title race, ahead of the reigning champions Napoli and just one point behind their city rivals Inter.

Unfortunately, Nkunku has next to nothing to do with that. The Rossoneri’s hopes that they were buying the Leipzig version of the French forward, as opposed to the lethargic, out-of-sorts Chelsea version, have gradually ebbed away.

The 28-year-old is yet to open his account in the Italian top flight, only scoring in the Coppa Italia, and reports out of Milan suggest that they’re already preparing to cut their losses.

He’s set to fall further down the pecking order following the January signing of Niclas Fullkrug, with a move away to Saudi Arabia mooted.

Ben Chilwell: B

“What a story it would be if I went to the World Cup after I was in the [Chelsea] bomb squad and everyone had counted me out 12 months prior,” Chilwell told BBC Sport last month.

“It would just be the biggest middle finger to so many people, which to me is a motivation. Chelsea were honest with me and there’s no resentment, but of course I’ve got an ego, so it would be a nice feeling to prove some people wrong.”

That’s very wishful thinking from Chilwell, but he’s done well to kick on at Strasbourg and put a couple of lost years behind him.

Never say never.

“Probably 99 out of 100 people are saying, ‘No, he’s not going, and it is impossible to go to the World Cup’,” Chilwell added.

“We’ve had conversations since he’s got the job at England. I’ll try and word it right – it has been said that it’s not out of the equation.”

Alfie Gilchrist: C

Not quite the next John Terry, as was suggested by some particularly overeager outlets a few years back, but Gilchrist nonetheless established himself as a decent enough Championship-level player as Sheffield United narrowly missed out on promotion last term.

The Blades opted against signing the defender permanently, allowing West Bromwich Albion to make their move late in the window.

But it’s been a disastrous campaign for the Baggies, who find themselves closer to the relegation zone than the play-off places.

Gilchrist has struggled for opportunities and currently finds himself suspended, having been shown a straight red card in a 1-0 defeat to Hull City before Christmas.

Alex Matos: C

Who?

Good question. Matos, who developed his skills for a couple of years at Cobham, has actually made a Premier League appearance for Chelsea – an injury-time cameo in a routine 2-0 victory over Fulham in 2023.

After loans to Huddersfield Town and Oxford United, the midfielder joined Sheffield United in the summer.

He’s only appeared intermittently since Chris Wilder made his return to Bramall Lane in September, with just three Championship starts under his belt this season.