Estevao Willian flourishes, Joao Pedro vindication as Chelsea's £271m transfer gamble laid bare

Joao Pedro has started life at Chelsea in tremendous fashion (Image: Justin Tallis/AFP)

Only one thing has been certain at the start of Chelsea’s season: it has been a mixed bag.

The Blues occupy seventh place in the Premier League table - with three wins, two draws and two losses - after the opening seven matches, while they have won one and lost another in the Champions League, and have progressed into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

Overall, Enzo Maresca 's side have won four games, lost three and drawn two. There is plenty to work on for Maresca and his squad, but injuries have not been kind to them in the early exchanges of the campaign.

A total of seven players missed the weekend's win against Liverpool, and two more limped off during the game. After the international break, Chelsea will be hoping around four of them return to action as they make the trip to Nottingham Forest.

A big positive about the new season, though, has been how some of the new signings have fared at Stamford Bridge. While not all of them have set the world alight, there have been a few really positive signs - as Bobby Vincent takes a look at below...

Jorrel Hato

Fee : £37million

Appearances : Five

Hato was signed by the Blues to provide cover and support for Marc Cucurella , who was overused last season. The Dutchman, though, can also play in the centre of defence and due to the injury situation within the squad, Maresca has had to rely on the £37million signing to showcase his versatility.

It was a bit of a nightmare full debut at Brentford last month , where Hato looked sloppy at times and it came as no surprise to see him hooked at half-time. Since then, however, the 19-year-old defender has improved. Hato looked very cool and composed when coming on in a difficult situation against Liverpool at the weekend.

Rating : 6/10

Dario Essugo

Fee : £18million

Appearances : Three

It has been a difficult start for Essugo at Stamford Bridge. The Portuguese midfielder was signed in time for the Club World Cup and made three cameo appearances while Chelsea were out in the United States. Showing similar attributes to Moises Caicedo , Essugo impressed even if he did rack up a combined total of 38 minutes on the pitch.

Two more appearances off the bench followed in pre-season against Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan - with it looking like Essugo would get his fair share of minutes under Maresca this season. While on international duty for Portugal Under-21s, the 20-year-old suffered a thigh injury and has had surgery on it since, meaning he could be out for the remainder of 2025.

By no fault of his own, really, he gets a bit of a low score.

Rating : 5/10

Facundo Buonanotte

Fee : £2million loan fee

Appearances : Three

A shock signing at the time, but the more you see Buonanotte play, the more it makes sense. The Argentine has essentially been signed to provide cover for Cole Palmer , who has missed the majority of the campaign with a groin problem.

The 20-year-old seems a smart footballer and whenever he has played, he has been able to keep the ball ticking along nicely without setting the world alight. There seems to be plenty more still to come from Buonanotte if Palmer is not available for whatever reason.

Rating : 6/10

Jamie Gittens

Fee : £55million

Appearances : Seven

It has not been a great return to England for Gittens thus far. Seven appearances in all competitions for the 21-year-old attacker, without a goal or assist to show for it.

That is not the be-all and end-all, of course, but his overall play has left a lot to be desired. While not shying away from the challenge, which is undoubtedly a positive, Gittens has been unable to provide too much of an impact on the left-hand side. Gittens is always direct, which Maresca likes in his wide players, but has been unable to show any form of end product so far.

His cameo appearance against Liverpool at the weekend was the best we have seen from the former Borussia Dortmund winger in a Chelsea shirt. Onwards and upwards.

Rating : 4/10

Alejandro Garnacho

Fee : £40million

Appearances : Five

It is hard to pass too much judgement on Garnacho because his fitness levels are clearly not at their maximum, although he does seem to be getting fitter, as you would expect, with each passing game. The fact Maresca started him in two successive games in the space of four days against Benfica and Liverpool speaks volumes.

Garnacho was credited with the assist for the only goal of the game in the win over Benfica, although he could have done a bit better with a couple of opportunities against Jose Mourinho 's team. He can frustrate, but there have been glimpses of the Argentine's talents in his early days at Stamford Bridge.

Rating : 6/10

Estevao Willian

Fee : £29million - plus unspecified performance-related add-ons

Appearances : Nine

A seamless transition to English football for Estevao . That is what it looks like from the outside, anyway, but the reality is; the 18-year-old surely would have found it much more difficult than that to up and change his life at such a young age.

Either way, Estevao has looked electric while on the pitch for the Blues. The Brazil international scored his first goal for the club in the 95th minute to win the crucial match against Liverpool at the weekend. The first of many, you feel, in a Chelsea shirt.

Rating : 8/10

Joao Pedro

Fee : £60million

Appearances : 12

An ever-present figure in the Chelsea side since signing from Brighton over the summer. Joao Pedro has featured 12 times for the Blues altogether, including three appearances - and three goals - in the latter stages of the summer's Club World Cup.

He carried such form into the Premier League for Chelsea, where the Brazil international bagged two in the opening three fixtures of the campaign. The goals have dried up a bit in recent weeks, with Joao Pedro looking - understandably - a tad fatigued. He has not been called up to the Brazil squad for their fixtures over the ongoing international break, so a bit of rest might do the versatile forward the world of good.

Rating : 8/10

Liam Delap

Fee : £30million

Appearances : Nine

Delap was the first of Chelsea's summer signings and arrived in time for the beginning of the Club World Cup. The 22-year-old striker travelled with his new teammates over to the United States and featured six times in the tournament, scoring one goal and providing an assist along the way as well.

The former Ipswich Town attacker played in the first three matches of the Premier League season, without looking at his brilliant best, but limped off in the win against Fulham at the end of August with a hamstring injury. Delap is set to be out until at least next month with the problem.

He has undoubtedly shown signs and glimpses when he has been on the pitch for Chelsea, but a big injury has certainly affected his score here.

Rating : 6/10