Chelsea ratings: Every Blues player's performance in the 2022-23 season - ranked

It's far too early to judge Slonina, who only joined up with the Blues in January following his summer transfer from MLS' Chicago Fire. The 19-year-old is yet to make his first-team debut for Chelsea, but he has been plying his trade in Premier League 2 and his work ethic has been impressing at Cobham.

The USMNT prospect is currently demonstrating his potential at the Under-20 World Cup in Argentina, where he's kept four clean sheets in as many games so far. One for the future.

The man who was signed as the solution to Chelsea's goalscoring woes hardly kicked a ball all season. Things got off to an awful start when the manager who signed him, Thomas Tuchel, was sacked a week later. Who knows what happened behind the scenes, but Aubameyang subsequently failed to earn the trust of either Graham Potter or Frank Lampard, having been omitted from the Champions League squad to make way for the raft of January signings.

He will leave the club with a solitary Premier League goal to his name.

The writing was on the wall for Zakaria when he was forced to wait until late December to make his Premier League debut, with both Tuchel and Potter reluctant to throw him into action for one reason or another.

Even so, there were fleeting moments when it seemed as though Zakaria's loan at Chelsea from Juventus would be a success and a permanent transfer was on the cards - but ultimately it was a damp squib as injury brought his season to a premature end.

It's only upon reflection that it becomes clear just how underwhelming Pulisic's season was; the USMNT talisman - who was really supposed to be a superstar by this stage in his career - managed just 1,012 minutes of action all season long.

A knee injury certainly disrupted his campaign, but he simply never did enough to be relied upon as a regular starter under any of the three managers he played under in 2022-23. A decision over his future will come into sharp focus this summer.

Expectation was never truly that high for Ziyech going into the third season of his so-far underwhelming spell at Stamford Bridge, and 2022-23 was the worst of the lot. The Moroccan racked up just 928 minutes of action across all competitions, with his languid playing style somewhat jarring in the face of the club's overall struggles as he failed to endear himself to both the supporters and any of the managers he worked under.

The winger's misery was compounded when a January loan move to Paris Saint-Germain fell through at the 11th hour, courtesy of an admin error on Chelsea's end. He'll hope he can finally make an escape in the summer as part of the club's clearout.

No matter how big a name you are, if you miss such a significant chunk of the season it will always go down as a huge disappointment. Kante's recent history of niggling injuries came to a head this season, as a serious hamstring issue sidelined him from August until April, before his comeback was ended by a groin problem.

Even in his brief time on the pitch, Kante was among Chelsea's best performers, but there is no hiding from the fact that his fitness woes pose a serious threat to his status as one of the best defensive midfielders of all time.

Suffice to say things haven't gone to plan for Mendy this season. Chelsea's Champions League goalkeeping hero made an error-strewn start to the campaign, most infamously against Leeds, before being dropped. He returned for three consecutive league defeats but suffered a shoulder injury which opened the door for Kepa Arrizabalaga to cement himself as No.1 in his absence.

Lampard decided to reinstate him for the game against Nottingham Forest towards the end of the season, but he made another mistake then, too, and was dropped again. His fall from grace will likely be confirmed with an exit this summer as the Blues go in search of a new first-choice goalkeeper.

The life of a third-choice goalkeeper is a strange one, but Bettinelli would have hoped to contribute more than he was able to in 2022-23. The 31-year-old failed to make a first-team appearance and missed much of the second half of the campaign with a mystery injury.

Nonetheless, he was handed a new contract in March so will be sticking around as the club's No.3.

Broja's rating is low through no fault of his own. The striker scored a fine goal against Wolves and provided an assist against Manchester United in his scant Premier League minutes before the World Cup break.

However, Broja's season was cruelly curtailed in a meaningless mid-season friendly against Aston Villa in Abu Dhabi as he ruptured his ACL. It hasn't been said all that often, but Chelsea really could have done with him as an option in the second half of the season.

Most people associated with Chelsea Football Club wanted Azpilicueta to stay last summer when he came close to a move to Barcelona as his contract ran down, but in hindsight they probably would have been better off saying a fond farewell.

The long-serving Spaniard was eventually handed a two-year deal after protracted negotiations, but he looked well past his best whenever called upon during 2022-23 and was a serious downgrade on the oft-absent Reece James.

Logically, Chelsea should have sought a loan for Fofana as soon as he arrived at Stamford Bridge. The club moved to land him after his goalscoring exploits for Molde in Norway, but the step up to the Premier League has unsurprisingly been a bit of a leap for the 20-year-old.

The striker has shown his considerable potential in flashes, but he is yet to find the back of the net for his new club and often missed out on matchday squads altogether as Potter and Lampard juggled a bloated group.

What was supposed to be a guaranteed success story has been anything but for former Napoli stalwart Koulibaly. Chelsea were expected to have one of the most formidable backlines around when he arrived last summer to join fellow veteran Thiago Silva, but he has struggled to adapt to the rigours of English football, making a number of high-profile errors.

Consequently, there are already question marks over his future at Stamford Bridge, although the player himself seems determined to make amends next season.

Was Cucurella ever going to live up to his £63 million ($79m) price tag? The short answer is no, probably not - and that is exactly what transpired this season. However, while it was always going to be unlikely for a defender to justify such an exorbitant fee, Cucurella didn't help his own cause in certain moments.

The full-back's defensive judgement was called into question on numerous occasions, and he failed to demonstrate the kind of attacking thrust that made him an outstanding player at Brighton under Potter.

Chelsea supporters have seen this one before; a highly-rated forward arriving at the club for huge money and instantly forgetting how to play football as soon as they pull on the blue shirt. It's happened time and time again across their modern history.

Mudryk demonstrated his obvious potential in flashes following his blockbuster £88.5m ($108.3m) move from Shakhtar Donetsk in January, but for every positive moment there was a glaring miss, a poor pass or an anonymous performance. The one mitigation is that the winger hadn't played a competitive game for more than a month before he arrived. Nevertheless, everyone will be expecting much, much better next season.

Mount had set a high bar with his ridiculous consistency since making his first-team breakthrough in 2019, but, along with the majority of his team-mates, he was well off it in 2022-23. The midfielder's work-rate and commitment were never in question, and he still made nine goal contributions without ever finding his best form before an uncharacteristic injury ended his season early.

It looks likely that this will be his farewell campaign, which makes this downturn all the more disappointing. The player will hope his fortunes changed when he likely swaps Stamford Bridge for Old Trafford in the summer.

Chukwuemeka was always likely to have to be patient for his opportunity after Chelsea pounced to sign him from Aston Villa out of nowhere last summer, right off the back of his outstanding displays with England at the U19 European Championship.

However, the attacking midfielder has been unable to set the world alight, with each Chelsea manager clearly hesitant to give young players a sustained run in the team amid their overall struggles, instead putting faith in more experienced campaigners. There is more to come from Chukwuemeka.

There is no doubting James' quality when he is at his flying best, but this was another hugely frustrating campaign for the full-back. Intermittent knee and hamstring injuries hampered him throughout, and even when he was available it felt as though he was working his way back to his best before another fitness issue would strike.

James is arguably Chelsea's best player, but both he and the club will be desperate for this not to become the story of his career; he simply has to stay fit next season.

One of the victims of Chelsea's dire need for a proven goalscorer, Havertz continued to flatter to deceive as a central striker in 2022-23. The German scraped to double figures for goal contributions, but a positional identity crisis means he has once again struggled to hit the heights expected of a man of his talents.

He is still just 23 and the fanbase will still be willing him to succeed, but patience is wearing thin for a man in whom such a huge investment was made three years ago.

Chelsea knew they were investing in a raw talent when they splurged £75m (£94m) on Fofana last summer, but he struggled to repay that faith in what must ultimately be viewed as a disappointing debut season. An ill-timed serious knee injury did nothing to help his cause, but the ex-Leicester man looked shaky in the months that followed his return and made a few high-profile mistakes, although the team's overall confidence had been sapped.

Fofana is a signing for the future, but a hell of a lot more will be expected when he begins life under Pochettino next season.

Kovacic has blown hot and cold throughout his Chelsea career, and what may prove to be his swansong season was no different. As usual there were moments of brilliance, including his two goals for the season which came in the form of instinctive first-time strikes that reflected his technical ability, but those were outweighed by misplaced passes and mazy dribbles that led nowhere.

More often than not he was simply a functioning cog in the Chelsea machine, and it is probably the right time for the Blues to part ways with him as he nears a move to Manchester City.

Like Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek is another midfielder who didn't really contribute enough at either end of the pitch, despite being given the regular minutes that he has craved throughout his chequered Chelsea career. He was a team player, often deputising at wing-back in James' absence, but after a strong start that raised the possibility of a World Cup call-up, his season tailed off somewhat as the team's overall problems deepened.

Loftus-Cheek now finds himself in the shop window, with AC Milan particularly keen on him, and it would be little surprise to see his unfulfilled period at Stamford Bridge brought to a quiet end.

It was a strange season for Sterling, who was in and out of the team as uncharacteristic niggling injuries dampened his impact. Nevertheless, he was among the host of Chelsea attackers who significantly underperformed even when fit, although he still made 13 goal contributions across all competitions.

At times he was Chelsea's best player, looking like the only one capable of producing a match-winning moment, but at others he really struggled - even being booed by his own fans after inexplicably being deployed as a false nine against Brighton and two six-foot-plus centre-backs.

After enjoying a late breakthrough season in 2022-23, Chalobah found the going more tough this year in what was a difficult season for all involved. However, while he was expected to be pushed to the wayside by the arrivals of Fofana and Koulibaly, Chalobah has continued to prove his worth and has generally commanded regular minutes.

Although it is clear he is still raw, the 23-year-old finished strong, covering at right-back for the injured James and providing a more youthful alternative to Azpilicueta. His future is uncertain, but he is one of few to have stood tall for the most part.

Badiashile looked like an unlikely candidate for Chelsea's signing of the season award when me made a fine start to life at Stamford Bridge following his January move from Monaco. However, after helping the club to three clean sheets in his first three league games, his form dipped somewhat and he was used sparingly once Lampard took over.

There is obvious potential there and Badiashile is a strong option as a left-sided centre-back in a back three and, like so many others, he is sure to look like a completely different player once some confidence is restored.

Hall continues to grab every chance he is handed by the scruff of the neck and try his damnedest to make an impact. It doesn't always work out, but all you can ask of an 18-year-old academy product is that they show endeavour, and Hall has done that in abundance.

The versatile midfielder-cum-left-back was handed opportunities by Potter and Lampard, earning valuable minutes and putting in outstanding performances against both Manchester clubs.

Felix was supposed to be a game-changing signing for Chelsea, and though he was one of few attackers to demonstrate that he can score goals, his overall impact was not what was expected for a player of his talents - although, again, it would have taken a hell of a lot for him to drag his team-mates up to a better standard collectively.

In spells Felix was Chelsea's best player, and he scored close to a quarter of their 18 Premier League goals during his short-term loan at the club. But despite being a bright spark, he was too often guilty of overplaying in a period where the Blues needed to do the basics. Had this been an in-form Chelsea side, he would have been a serious weapon.

Off the back of an injury-ravaged 2021-22 campaign, Chilwell was once again hit by fitness problems this season, but he was available enough of the time to demonstrate just how important he is to the club.

Chilwell was at his best either side of a hamstring problem that ruled him out of the World Cup, but the same issue would curtail his season. Like his fellow full-back James, Chelsea really need the 26-year-old to stay fit if we are to see them at their very best.

A resurgence that very few would have predicted before a ball was kicked. Kepa laid claim to the No.1 jersey following Mendy's injury early in the campaign and showed in moments why Chelsea went all out to sign him all those years ago. His ridiculous double save against Aston Villa will live particularly long in the memory.

Ironically, this may well end up being Kepa's swansong in a Chelsea shirt, with Pochettino widely reported to be a seeking a new long-term No.1. At least, after everything that has come before, he will go out on something of a high on a personal level.

Gallagher had certainly earned his chance at Chelsea with an outstanding loan spell in south London with Crystal Palace, but for long periods of this season it didn't look like he was ready for the step up.

However, in what is a reflection of the midfielder's tenacity and never-say-die approach, the academy product fought his way back and effectively made himself a key player for Lampard. He will hope to kick on again under Pochettino's tutelage.

One of Chelsea's lower-key January signings, Madueke impact wasn't expected to be immediate following his arrival from PSV in the Eredivisie - a step up that many players have found too difficult in the past.

However, after taking some time to get to grips with the Premier League, Madueke was one of the Blues' outstanding performers in the run-in, scoring his first goal at Arsenal and terrorising Bournemouth's backline in what was a much-needed victory at the time.

One of those players whose ability reflects that statistics do not tell the whole story; Fernandez is yet to score his first goal for Chelsea and only picked up two assists following his blockbuster £106m ($131m) transfer from Benfica in January, but he was comfortably their most consistent performer in the subsequent months as he started every single game.

At just 22 years old, Enzo oozes class, with his technique and ball-playing ability suggesting he will be among he very best in his position in years to come. He has been found wanting defensively at times, but Pochettino is already on the lookout for a No.6 to supplement his talents.

Where would Chelsea be without Thiago? It was by no means a vintage season for the veteran defender on an overall level, but he was still so often their key player throughout countless difficult moments in 2022-23, and that was reflected in a dip in form in his absence due to injury between February and April.

From last-ditch challenges, crucial blocks and heroic goal-line clearances, Thiago was the man for every occasion once again. His 34 interceptions, 109 clearances, 112 individual duels won and 29 shots blocked in the Premier League were all the highest number by any Chelsea player.

With more incomings in defence unlikely and the current backline in serious need of reorganisation and galvanising, the 38-year-old's experience will be invaluable in the huge period of transition that faces the club.