Chelsea have done plenty of work in the transfer market in the last few seasons. That transfer philosophy has come in for criticism from many quarters, with the Blues handing out long contracts to young players, signing them up for the future.

That strategy looked to have been the wrong one with the team underperforming under the likes of Graham Potter and for long spells under Mauricio Pochettino. The head coaches struggled to get a tune out of players under the weight of huge transfer fees and wages, with a squad full to bursting.

But as time has gone on and now under the tutelage of Enzo Maresca, Chelsea look more like a team ready to challenge at the highest level again.

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New players have settled into their surroundings and the league, and have come to terms with their price tags and are doing what they do best - simply playing football.

Marc Cucurella has turned things around after a tough start to his time at Chelsea following a £60million move from Brighton, while Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo are now living up to the £100million-plus price tags. Nicolas Jackson is firing after a difficult first season, Cole Palmer continues to wow and young players brought in for big money like Malo Gusto, Noni Madueke and Wesley Fofana are proving excellent additions.

And there are plenty more to come too, with Chelsea having already spent big money on players who are yet to feature for the club. In fact, Maresca is not far away now from having the dream midfield at Stamford Bridge that could be in place for years to come.

Fernandez, Caicedo and Romeo Lavia are fighting it out for regular starting spots in the central midfield area at the moment, with none of that trio older than 24 currently. They are all contracted to the Blues until at least 2030 too.

Coming into the club this summer are two highly-regarded midfielders. Kendry Paez will join the Blues this summer after he turns 18 in May. He will be joined by 20-year-old Andrey Santos, who signed from Vasco de Gama last summer and is contracted to Chelsea until 2030.

Paez and Santos both come with huge potential and burgeoning reputations and will step into the battle in the heart of Chelsea's midfield with Fernandez, Caicedo and Lavia. Given their ages and their profiles, it looks like an exciting future for the Chelsea midfield, with none of the five over the age of 24 by the start of next season.

Then there's the small matter of Estevao Willian coming in to bolster the attacking lineup ahead of them - another Brazilian wonderkid with massive potential to light up the Premier League arriving this summer.