It's clear Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia are desperate to make up for lost time. Arriving amid the chaos of Chelsea's big-spending summer of 2023 for a combined £110 million ($141m), the pair were forced to watch on from the sidelines for the vast majority of last season as their team-mates toiled under Mauricio Pochettino.
Nkunku would muster just 14 appearances in all competitions after an untimely injury in pre-season, while Lavia would have even less luck as he was limited a single, 32-minute cameo in December in what was ultimately an injury-plagued individual campaign.
With another new season on the horizon, things are finally looking up for two players who have had to be extremely patient for their chance to make an impression. Both have starred in pre-season and look ready to finally become key players at Stamford Bridge, and newly-installed Enzo Maresca could be the ideal head coach to reap the rewards.