It is fair to say that Chelsea have been reliant on England international Cole Palmer to step up with vital goals and assists since his move to Stamford Bridge in 2023.
The left-footed attacking midfielder currently leads the team in goals (14) and assists (six) in the Premier League this season, which shows that he has been the main man for Enzo Maresca at the top end of the pitch.
The former Manchester City man also led the way in the squad for goals (22) and assists (11) in the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, in what was his first year of regular football at senior level.
Palmer has, however, failed to register a goal or an assist in his last ten appearances in all competitions, resulting in four losses, and these dry spells are where Maresca needs other forwards to step up.
Unfortunately, Chelsea do not have any world-class wingers in their squad to provide quality when Palmer is not at his best, as they have lacked an elite talent in that area of the pitch since Eden Hazard’s move to Real Madrid in 2019.
Why Chelsea miss Eden Hazard
No winger has registered more than seven assists in a single Premier League campaign for Chelsea since the Belgian wizard’s exit from Stamford Bridge at the end of the 2018/19 season.
Hazard racked up 16 goals and 15 assists in that campaign, as he delivered a constant supply of goals and assists to help his side, and the best tally of assists from a winger since that term was Willian’s haul of seven in the following year.
The now-retired star had the ability to make a huge impact at the top end of the pitch to decide matches for the Blues with goals and assists, which is what Palmer has been doing in a number ten position since the start of last season.
Hazard, as you can see in the clips above, could produce moments of magic in the final third to get his team out of bad situations by scoring a brilliant goal out of nothing.
He was an electric winger who consistently delivered quality for Chelsea, with 110 goals and 85 assists in all competitions, and it was always going to be difficult to find a player to replace his level of production on the flank.
2018/19
37
16
15
2017/18
34
12
4
2016/17
36
16
5
2015/16
31
4
3
2014/15
38
14
9
2013/14
35
14
7
2012/13
34
9
11
But for the club to be almost six years on from his exit and yet to find a winger who can deliver more than seven assists in a league season is disappointing from a recruitment perspective.
Chelsea, however, could finally land the winger they have been looking for and their best wide player since Hazard by winning the race for one of their reported transfer targets.
Chelsea open talks to sign LaLiga star
According to The Boot Room, Chelsea have opened talks to sign Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The report claims that the Premier League giants have entered into discussions with the player’s representatives to make them aware of the interest in their client, whilst seeing how viable a move in the summer would be.
It states that LaLiga side Barcelona are also interested in the forward but that they are not making a wide addition a priority for them this summer, which could open the door to teams from England.
The Boot Room adds that Williams is open to making the switch to the Premier League, which has caused Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea to pay attention to his situation.
It also reveals that the Spain international has a release clause of just under £50m, which it claims Blues would have no problem paying, and Maresca must now push the board to win the race for his signature this summer.
Why Chelsea must sign Nico Williams
Chelsea must swoop to sign Williams from Athletic Bilbao for roughly £50m at the end of this season because he is a winger with the quality to be the club’s best wide man since Hazard.
As aforementioned, no Blues winger has registered more than seven assists in a single league season since his move to Real Madrid in 2019, which speaks to the lack of creativity that has come from that area of the pitch at Stamford Bridge over the past six years.
Williams, who was described as a “scary” talent by analyst Ben Mattinson, is a player who has the potential to come in and offer Maresca the wing presence that his team have been missing this season.
Since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, the 22-year-old dynamo has racked up 17 goals and 23 assists in all competitions for Athletic Bilbao, which shows that he can provide a threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals from the left flank.
In that time, Williams also scored two goals, created four ‘big chances’, and registered one assist in six matches to help Spain win the European Championship ahead of England.
Starts
29
Goals
5
Dribbles completed
87
Big chances created
10
Key passes
47
Assists
11
As you can see in the table above, the electric whiz hit 11 assists in his last full league campaign for Bilbao, who are not one of the main challengers in LaLiga, last term.
This shows that the European champion has the skillset, the consistency, and the quality to offer a huge creative threat at the top end of the pitch for Chelsea, which is something that has been missing on the flank this term.
As aforementioned, no Blues winger has more than seven assists in a season since Hazard, which suggests that signing Williams could result in the club landing their best wide man since the Belgian magician.
Of course, it would then be down to the Spanish whiz to prove that he can deliver goals and assists as regular for Chelsea as he has done for Bilbao, but his form in his home country suggests that all the tools are there for him to be an exceptional addition to Maresca’s squad.
He "scares people": Chelsea have found the new Duff & it's not Sancho
Chelsea have found their new version of Damien Duff and it is not Jadon Sancho.
ByDan EmeryMar 24, 2025
Therefore, the club must push to beat Liverpool and Arsenal to the signing of Williams in the summer transfer window because his attacking threat alongside Palmer’s brilliance in midfield could create a lethal partnership next season.