Chelsea’s return to Stamford Bridge was the tale of an exciting turn from one new face and the complete absence of another.

In their first pre-season outing since their Club World Cup triumph in the U.S. last month, Enzo Maresca’s side ran out 2-0 winners over Erik ten Hag’s Bayer Leverkusen, with teenager Estevao scoring on his first appearance in Chelsea blue before his Brazilian countryman Joao Pedro rounded things off late on.

But much of the discourse centred on striker Nicolas Jackson, who was not part of Maresca’s matchday squad. The Athletic has previously reported in the Transfer DealSheet that Chelsea are open to sanctioning his departure if a suitable offer arrives following their summer captures of Liam Delap and Joao Pedro.

Liam Twomey and Thom Harris break down the main talking points from Chelsea’s comfortable win over German opposition.

Jackson’s future seemingly hangs in the balance

The pre-match conversation was dominated by reports that Nicolas Jackson had asked to be left out of Maresca’s squad to face Leverkusen to explore a move elsewhere. It has been very clear all summer that Chelsea have been willing to listen to offers for him, not least because they have bought themselves into a position where the Senegal international looks eminently expendable.

Liam Delap relegated Jackson to second in the pecking order at the FIFA Club World Cup before the 24-year-old’s rash red card against Flamengo provided what might end up being the final punctuation mark on his Chelsea career. Joao Pedro then arrived in time for the knockout stage and seized the starting spot for himself, scoring twice against Fluminense in the semi-final and once against Paris Saint-Germain in the final.

Jackson’s absence only intensified the focus on both of them against Leverkusen, with the new Premier League season on the horizon. It was interesting to see Maresca start Delap here, and perhaps it is too soon to simply write Joao Pedro’s name in pen at the tip of Chelsea’s strongest XI. Delap’s direct running and endless hustle in the first half stretched the Bundesliga side, creating more space for Cole Palmer and Estevao to express themselves.

But you can’t deny the level of clinical finishing that Joao Pedro once again showcased with virtually the last kick of the game after coming on as a substitute, sweeping a low shot perfectly into the bottom corner from a central position in the box.

Chelsea were crying out for a finisher as ruthless as this last season. Now they appear to have at least one in Joao Pedro and perhaps another in Delap, if he can build on his encouraging start. It is easy to understand why Jackson might be tempted to look for a new team.

Liam Twomey

A first look at new signing Hato

Full-back certainly isn’t the simplest role to play for Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea. It’s a physically demanding one, too, encapsulated by a tireless Marc Cucurella performance in the first half when the 27-year-old seemed to be everywhere all at once; darting into pockets of space in midfield, charging down the flanks, and dropping into the back line to help his fellow defenders build out from the back.

Jorrel Hato didn’t quite match Cucurella’s first-half dynamism on his Chelsea debut after the break, but the teenager’s mere presence in those midfield positions — a natural when it comes to stepping into the half-spaces from his left-back role — made fantastic viewing for those concerned about Cucurella’s 5,000-plus minutes last season.

There were some neat moments from Hato in tight situations, receiving a fizzed pass with his back to goal on the hour mark, turning away from pressure and moving the ball out wide for a Pedro Neto cross. Otherwise, the 19-year-old was constantly on the tails of Tyrique George and Jamie Gittens with driving runs, always providing an option for the quick pass inside. He’s also notably taller than Cucurella and though he wasn’t tested too much with lofted passes in behind him from his full-back role, the Dutchman looks more than capable of holding his own.

Hato can play as a wide centre-back, too, bringing much-needed cover and more flexibility to an increasingly fluid side.

Thom Harris

Estevao looks at home alongside talisman Palmer

Inside two minutes, Andrey Santos received the ball on the half-turn in midfield, opened up his body, and shaped to pass the ball out to the right flank. A very audible buzz of excitement rippled around Stamford Bridge, even though the ball never actually made it to the feet of Estevao.

Nothing gets bums off seats in a football ground quite like the sight of a free-flowing Brazilian attacker — nothing perhaps except a full-blown superstar like Palmer. On this first pre-season outing, Chelsea gave their supporters the decadent treat of watching both of them at the same time. It is already clear they will have a lot of fun together. Their opponents, not so much.

All of Chelsea’s best sequences in a pleasantly high-intensity first half involved both of them, often in thrilling combination, and the deadlock-breaking goal was no exception. Estevao started it by winning the ball back on the halfway line and picking a quick pass forward. Palmer almost finished it with a brilliantly improvised lob from Cucurella’s cross that crashed back off the crossbar, but Estevao continued his run to drift into the perfect position to sweep in the rebound.

As he wheeled away in front of a delighted Shed End, slid across the turf on his knees, rose to his feet and kissed the badge before pointing to the sky, it was hard to avoid the conclusion that we are all embarking on what promises to be a very fun ride.

Palmer clearly respects the young Brazilian already. That much was evident in how often he looked for him: once with a backheel, once with a nonchalant chest pass, and often by barely bringing the ball into his orbit in the middle third before sweeping it out to the right flank without needing to glance up to check if Estevao was open to receive it.

The young Brazilian was confident and aggressive throughout, never needing a second invitation to shoot from the right in the first half and then as the No 10 in the second, after Palmer was withdrawn, partly to manage minutes and perhaps partly also as a precaution following the heavy kick he took to his ankle from Jarell Quansah.

Keeping both of them fit will be a priority for Maresca because the early indications are that when they share the pitch, good things are much more likely to happen for Chelsea.

Liam Tharme

Who will replace injured Colwill at the start of the season?

News of Levi Colwill’s gutting ACL tear cast a shadow over the build-up to this friendly, with the defender looking likely to miss the entirety of the 2025-26 season while he recovers from surgery. The 22-year-old was key to Chelsea’s Club World Cup success in the summer, a valuable left-footed centre-back with excellent distribution from the back, and will have been hoping to work his way into Thomas Tuchel’s plans for the World Cup in the coming months.

Chelsea fielded four different centre-backs against Bayer Leverkusen, starting with Josh Acheampong and Trevoh Chalobah in the first half. There was a nervy moment for the former shortly after the only goal, with Acheampong misjudging a bounce and bringing Ibrahim Maza to the ground, but the 19-year-old was largely composed. He stuck to Patrick Schick throughout and played a fantastic zipped pass into Palmer to kickstart an attack on the half-hour mark, leading to a chance for the lively Estevao.

Chalobah was the man to take up Colwill’s wider role in build-up, however, and dealt with the visitors’ threat out wide with minimal fuss. It suggests that he could be the man to start in Chelsea’s Premier League opener against Crystal Palace, ahead of the likes of Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana, both nursing long-term injuries. But with Hato underway in Chelsea colours, and three weeks of a very busy transfer window to go, watch this space.

Thom Harris

What next for Chelsea?

Sunday, August 10: Milan (Home), pre-season friendly, 3pm UK, 10am ET

(Top photo: Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)