Chelsea have once again been linked with Victor Osimhen, with the Blues potentially looking to recruit a new striker for their squad next season.
With Christopher Nkunku struggling for goals and Nicolas Jackson still adapting to the Premier League, it's no surprise that Chelsea are in the market for another striker this summer. Jackson's red card against Newcastle United means that the striker will miss the opening game of the 2025/26 season, but there could be a new striker in the Blues' squad by then, with Osimhen being linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.
The Nigerian international has scored 35 goals in 39 games since joining Galatasaray on loan last summer, and the 26-year-old is likely to be sold on his return to Napoli, with Enzo Maresca's side one of the front runners for his signature. So, if Chelsea were to sign Osimhen, how could he perform? Let's take a look.
Chelsea's 2025/26 season simulated with Victor Osimhen
To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2024 to move Osimhen to Chelsea in the summer transfer window before simulating the 2025/26 season. Two other players were signed in the transfer window, with Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa arriving at the club alongside Kang-In Lee, with the latter joining on a season-long loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
Osimhen had a good start to life in west London, but he did suffer a handful of injury problems throughout the season, which saw him miss a few games. Nevertheless, the Nigerian still impressed, ending the season as the club's top goalscorer.
Chelsea's top scorers from the 2025/26 season
Chelsea's top scorers from the 2025/26 season (Image: Football Manager)
The striker bagged 14 goals in 35 games for the Blues across all competitions, but there was a dip in form towards the end of the season, with Osimhen failing to score in his final 12 appearances. Interestingly, Osimhen averaged the lowest rating out of the Blues' top six goalscorers (6.97), with Palmer (7.76) averaging the highest in the squad.
At the end of the 2025/26 season, Football Manager 2024 put together an overall best Chelsea XI, based on performances, statistics, and other metrics. This is what it looked like:
Chelsea's best XI from the 2025/26 season
Chelsea's best XI from the 2025/26 season (Image: Football Manager)
Full Chelsea best XI: (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; James, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Lavia; Palmer, Fernandez, Neto; Osimhen.
Despite his low average rating, Osimhen still made the Chelsea best XI, beating Jackson to the striker role. Palmer was deputised on the right to allow Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia all to start together more regularly, while Pedro Neto was Maresca's most-used left winger.
Djordje Petrovic reclaimed his spot as Chelsea's starting goalkeeper on his return from his loan spell at Strasbourg, while a fully fit Reece James missed just four games all season to lock down the right-back spot. The Blues had a relatively impressive Premier League campaign, but there was no title race as Manchester City blew everyone else out of the water.
The Premier League table from the 2025/26 season
The Premier League table from the 2025/26 season (Image: Football Manager 24)
24 wins, six draws and eight defeats saw Chelsea end the season on 78 points in fourth place, securing Champions League football for the following season. Maresca's side were 13 ahead of Newcastle in fifth and just three behind Liverpool in third.
But, Chelsea's success came in the cup competitions, with the Blues winning a domestic double. A 3-1 win over Newcastle United saw Maresca's side win the Carabao Cup before beating Tottenham 2-0 in the FA Cup final at the end of the season.
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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