Chelsea and Enzo Maresca can look back at 2025 with fond memories, with it being a year that brought them much success.
In May, the Blues qualified for the Champions League before winning the Conference League. Two months later, they went on to get their hands on the Club World Cup trophy after beating Paris Saint-Germain in the final.
At the heart of those successes was Cole Palmer, who scored two goals against PSG, while Moises Caicedo also played his part.
For as good as Palmer was in Chelsea’s two finals versus PSG and Real Betis, though, he was not as consistent as Caicedo in 2025.
Chelsea stars Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo during the Club World Cup match against Fluminense.
Photo by Justin Setterfield – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Moises Caicedo was Chelsea’s best player in 2025
During the second half of the 2024/25 season, Palmer suffered a real dip in form, going on a run of 12 games without a Premier League goal.
Can you name the two Chelsea stars who were sent off in the 2024/25 Premier League season? 🔴 🔴
Referee Peter Bankes shows a red card to Marc Cucurella of Chelsea
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Because of injury, Palmer has also missed a lot of football in the final months of 2025. In that time, Caicedo has become arguably the best midfielder in England, while he has also performed at a very high level since the beginning of 2025.
For example, as per FBref, the midfielder has been making 3.01 tackles and 1.54 interceptions per 90 minutes over the last year. It puts him in the 92nd percentile for both areas among his positional peers.
When Gary Neville spoke about Caicedo following Chelsea’s 2-1 win against Liverpool in October, the Manchester United legend said: “Moises Caicedo was the best player on the pitch by a mile today and he’s the best midfielder in the Premier League at this point in time. I’m comfortable saying that.”
All in all, most Chelsea fans would agree that Caicedo was the club’s standout player in 2025.
Moises Caicedo of Chelsea celebrates scoring
Photo by Harry Murphy/Getty Images
Cole Palmer is still Chelsea’s most important player
As Caicedo dominated games in Palmer’s absence this season, some started to claim that the 24-year-old had become more important than his teammate.
However, when Chelsea started to drop points and struggle in front of goal while Palmer was not playing, it quickly became apparent that this team cannot cope without him.
How much is Cole Palmer worth?
Cole Palmer celebrates during FC Bayern München v Chelsea FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1
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The Englishman scores goals and creates them for Chelsea. Being a defensive midfielder, Caicedo will never be able to impact games the way an attacker like Palmer does.
Caicedo is a quality player, but there is no doubt that Palmer is still Enzo Maresca’s MVP at Stamford Bridge.
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