Jimi Tauriainen

Jimi Weikko Tauriainen (born 8 March 2004) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or forward for Premier League club Chelsea.

Club career
Born in Helsinki, Tauriainen began his footballing career with academy side FC Wild, a club his father had been involved in creating, at the age of five. He joined professional outfit HJK in 2016, before trialling with Italian sides Juventus and Inter Milan, as well as English side Chelsea in 2020.

In March 2020, shortly after his sixteenth birthday, HJK announced on their website that Tauriainen would join Chelsea in July of the same year, following his successful trial. Initially a forward during his time in Finland, he was converted to a midfielder at Chelsea.

He signed his first professional contract with The Blues on his seventeenth birthday, before extending this contract four months later, in July 2021.

On 25 February 2024, Tauriainen was named in the Chelsea first team squad in the League Cup final against Liverpool but remained an unused substitute. He made his senior debut three days later, coming on as a late substitute for Mykhailo Mudryk in the FA Cup fifth round match against Leeds United. On 2 May 2024, Tauriainen made his first appearance in Premier League, as a late substitute in a 2–0 home win against Tottenham.

International career
Tauriainen has represented Finland from under-15 to under-19 level.

Personal life
Tauriainen hails from a footballing family; his father, Pasi, is a former international for Finland, while his brother, Julius, currently plays for Finnish side Lahti. His uncles, Kimmo and Vesa, are also former footballers.

Honours
Chelsea
 * EFL Cup runner-up: 2023–24