Why winning the Club World Cup could be the start of a glorious new chapter at Chelsea

It is an intriguing thought. If Chelsea can ruthlessly dismantle Paris St-Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup final, what might they capable of next season and beyond?

It can be safely assumed that bookies will be rushing to shorten their odds on Enzo Maresca’s men being crowned 2025-26 Premier League champions.

After reducing Luis Enrique’s UEFA Champions League winners to so much rubble, that is understandable.

Chelsea are a coming force and can now call themselves the best club side on the planet.

That will not be enough, though, for Maresca, his players and certainly the club’s ambitious owners.

Chelsea 3-0 PSG | FIFA Club World Cup Final Highlights

They want more and, just minutes after destroying PSG at the MetLife Stadium, talk turned to adding further silverware to their trophy cabinet.

“We’ve just got to push this into next season and bring home more trophies,” said striker Liam Delap.

“Everyone’s hungry to win and we’ve proved that. Hopefully we can keep proving that in the future.”

Delap’s bold rhetoric summed up the prevailing mood within the Chelsea camp.

There will now be a fortnight’s break before they return and ready themselves for an assault on the Premier League.

It is clear from watching Chelsea last season and during the Club World Cup that they are only going to get better.

This is a young side overflowing with homegrown talents such as Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah and captain Reece James.

All three came through the club’s vaunted youth development system at Cobham.

All three are now Chelsea regulars, England internationals and Club World Cup winners.

The Blues’ policy of buying in young talent is paying off handsomely too.

Last season, Cole Palmer did not consistently reach the heights he achieved during his debut season at Stamford Bridge in 2023-24.

But he is a footballing genius and showed that once again during the first half against PSG in particular.

If Palmer was not already regarded as one of the best players in the world, he certainly is now.

 

 

The England attacking midfielder scored twice and set up a brilliant third goal for new signing Joao Pedro.

That made it 3-0 at half-time as Chelsea steamrollered a PSG side who had been widely tipped to take the coveted title.

US President Donald Trump was among the 81,118 crowd and must have been impressed.

Maresca’s team was simply unplayable and Jamie Gittens and teenage Brazilian sensation Estevao Willian are two hugely promising more talents to keep an eye on after joining this summer in big-money moves.

But the key protagonist in Chelsea’s success has, of course, been Maresca.

There were those who queried his appointment last summer, but in his first season he won the Conference League and secured qualification for next season’s Champions League football.

Now the Italian has gone and thumped PSG in arguably the biggest game in club football.

It is the stuff of fairytales, but the greatest chapters for Maresca’s vibrant young Chelsea side could lie ahead.

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