Enzo Maresca is wasting no time in building a Chelsea squad which he hopes will progress in both the Premier League and Champions League next season.

The first port of call is to go all the way in the Club World Cup. Not only would it see Maresca claim his second piece of silverware with the Blues, but it would also net them around $125m in prize money.

Considering they have spent £60m on Joao Pedro, £51.5m on Jamie Gittens and £30m on Liam Delap since the start of June, this would be a nice bonus.

Just two more wins would seal the title, and it could provide a nice momentum booster heading into 2025/26 for the Blues.

Several players have impressed thus far. Delap has scored once and grabbed an assist, while Pedro Neto has also been a big hit.

The Portuguese winger has scored three goals stateside, along with averaging 2.5 key passes and creating two big chances throughout the competition.

As ever, Cole Palmer has been excellent for the Blues at the Club World Cup and Maresca will be keen on building his squad around the former Manchester City starlet, no doubt about that.

Why Cole Palmer is so important to Chelsea

The £40m that Chelsea spent to lure Palmer to London in 2023 is turning into a bigger bargain every week.

At the time of writing, he is currently valued at £103m via Transfermarkt and there is no doubt that this valuation will continue to rise as long as he is performing well.

His debut campaign at Stamford Bridge saw the youngster register 40 goal contributions – 25 goals and 15 assists – and he continued this rich vein of form under Maresca last season.

While he may have scored fewer goals (15) and recorded fewer assists (12), Palmer was still crucial to the Blues as they sealed a Champions League spot and won the Conference League.

Aside from his goal involvements last term, the Englishman created a staggering 24 big chances in the Premier League. Furthermore, he averaged 2.4 key passes and succeeded with 53% of his dribble attempts.

Furthermore, when compared to his peers in the top flight, Palmer ranked in the top 9% for progressive passes (6.04), in the top 4% for shot-creating actions (5.7) and in the top 8% for through balls (0.62) per 90.

This suggests he offers far more than simply a goalscoring threat in the final third. At the Club World Cup, the 23-year-old is showing plenty of promise ahead of his third season with the club.

As such, Palmer ranks first in the Chelsea squad for shots per game (4) at the tournament, while also ranking third for big chances created (2), second for key passes (1.8) and third for successful dribbles per game (2.3).

If he maintains this sort of form over the next two matches, the Blues have a great chance of securing the trophy.

Maresca would love to sign another Palmer-like player for the Blues, so could he perhaps raid another Premier League side for one of their most talented youngsters?

Chelsea eyeing yet more transfers

While the Blues are keen to bolster their first-team squad with yet more additions, it is clear that moving several players on will be required too.

Nicolas Jackson has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer. As to have Christopher Nkunku and Joao Felix.

This will free up the wage bill significantly, allowing others to make moves to the club. Noni Madueke is another who appears close to departing the Blues.

A formal offer is reportedly being lined up by Arsenal for the winger, and if conditions are met, Maresca will let the player leave.

There could be more to the potential deal, however, as Gunners insider, Hand of Arsenal, claims that the Blues wish to sign one of their youngsters.

Taking to social media they revealed that during talks for Madueke, Chelsea 'floated the idea of involving wonderkid Max Dowman' in the deal.

Sadly for Maresca and Co, this was rather unsurprisingly rejected as Arsenal view him as their "crown jewel."

Although the initial proposal might have been rejected straight away, might Maresca make another cheeky approach? If so, it could be another Palmer situation.

Why Chelsea want to sign Max Dowman

Dowman is only 15 years old, but he has already racked up 14 appearances for England at U17 level, scoring four goals in the process.

It won't be long before he makes the step-up to the age group above him, such is his superb potential and talent.

Last season saw Dowman give the supporters a glimpse into the future, showing exactly what he is capable of.

Across 23 matches for the U18 and youth teams, Dowman registered Palmer levels of goalscoring and creativity, not only scoring 19 goals, but he also chipped in with five assists. That is a simply excellent return for someone who can’t even legally drive for another 18 months.

While playing for England U17s against the Czech Republic at the Euro U17 tournament recently, he scored and recorded an assist, leading to heavy praise from Arsenal academy expert Will Balsam, who said that "Dowman was unstoppable."

The praise for this young jewel doesn't stop there. Teammate Declan Rice has described him as the "best 15-year-old in the country" while the aforementioned Balsam has claimed that the in-demand playmaker is the "biggest talent in England".

While Arsenal won’t be looking to let Dowman go by any stretch of the imagination, the fact that the Blues want to include him as part of the deal shows how talented he is.

One for the future perhaps, but if things don’t go to plan at the Gunners, Maresca will have one eye on nabbing his next version of Palmer.