Enzo must axe Chelsea dud who earns more than Palmer & Jackson

Chelsea have made an excellent start to the new season under boss Enzo Maresca, with the Italian making a huge impact at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have only lost one game in the Premier League so far this season, coming on the opening day against defending champions Manchester City, going unbeaten in the last four league outings.

Their recent run has seen a draw against Crystal Palace, whilst picking up all three points against West Ham, Bournemouth and Wolves.

The victory over Wolves was a particularly eye-catching display, claiming the win by a 6-2 margin, with winger Noni Madueke scoring a hat-trick at Molineux that day.

Madueke has cemented himself as a regular starter since the arrival of Maresca, but he’s been outperformed by two other members of the Blues’ first-team squad so far this season.

Cole Palmer & Nicolas Jackson’s stats in 2024/25

Winger Cole Palmer has wasted no time in picking up where he left off last season, starring once again for Chelsea in the early months of the new season.

The England international, who scored in the Euro 2024 final over the summer, has already registered two goals and four assists in his first five league outings of the campaign – currently the joint most goal contributions at the club.

He shares that top spot with striker Nicolas Jackson, who has made an excellent start to life under Maresca, scoring four times and laying on two assists for his teammates.

In the Senegalese forward’s last outing against West Ham, he scored two out of the three goals in the 3-0 victory over Maresca’s side – helping the Italian claim his second consecutive away league victory.

There were huge question marks over Jackson going into this season, with the club constantly monitoring the likes of Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen over potential moves to Stamford Bridge.

After they failed to complete a deal for either forward, huge pressure was added onto the 23-year-old’s shoulders, but so far he’s exceeded them and demonstrated his quality on a consistent basis.

However, despite the duo’s respective good form for the Blues, they both earn less than one player who appears to be out of Maresca’s first-team plans.

The man who earns more than Palmer & Jackson combined

After joining from Leicester City during the off-season, Maresca wanted to make his own mark on the playing squad, even banishing numerous members who were deemed not good enough for his squad.

Left-back Ben Chilwell is just one of many players who were a victim of the Italian’s appointment, with the defender available for transfer during the recent window.

However, he made his first appearance during the Italian’s reign on Tuesday night in the Carabao Cup victory over Barrow, coming on to replace Malo Gusto at half-time.

Given his lack of game time since Maresca’s appointment, it’s clear that he doesn’t see the England international as part of his plans for the foreseeable future.

When delving into his weekly wage, it’s understandable as to why the club would look to cut ties with him as the former Leicester ace earning a reported £200k-per-week at Stamford Bridge.

He’s since earned £40.5m in wages alone since his move in 2020 and when coupling that figure with his £50m fee, the club have already forked out £90.5m on the 27-year-old – which works out to £945k per appearance he’s made for the Blues.

His subsequent wage sees him earn more than Palmer and Jackson combined, with the pair currently earning £130k and £65k-per-week respectively.

Given his lack of minutes and his extortionate weekly earnings, the club need to try and move the defender on at the next given opportunity.

The strictness around the Premier League’s PSR rules leaves no margin for error, with the club massively boosting their chances of staying within the threshold should they manage to offload Chilwell and his £200k-per-week wages.