Jimi Tauriainen

Jimi Tauriainen
Personal information
Full name Jimi Weikko Tauriainen[1]
Date of birth (2004-03-08) 8 March 2004
Place of birth Helsinki, Finland[1]
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Positions
Team information
Current team
Horsens
Number 19
Youth career
2009–2016 FC Wild
2016–2020 HJK
2020–2024 Chelsea
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024–2026 Chelsea 1 (0)
2026– Horsens 1 (0)
International career‡
2019 Finland U15 3 (2)
2019 Finland U16 6 (4)
2022 Finland U18 2 (1)
2022 Finland U19 3 (0)
2026– Finland U21 2 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13:18, 27 July 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 31 March 2026

Jimi Weikko Tauriainen (born 8 March 2004) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or forward for Danish Superliga club Horsens.

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.[2][3] He joined professional outfit HJK in 2016, before trialling with Italian sides Juventus and Inter Milan, as well as English side Chelsea in 2020.[4][5]

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.[6] Initially a forward during his time in Finland, he was converted to a midfielder at Chelsea.[7]

He signed his first professional contract with The Blues on his 17th birthday, before extending this contract four months later, in July 2021.[8][9]

On 25 February 2024, Tauriainen was named in the Chelsea first team squad in the EFL Cup final against Liverpool but remained an unused substitute.[10] 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. [11] On 2 May 2024, Tauriainen made his first appearance in Premier League, as a late substitute in a 2–0 home win against Tottenham Hotspur.[12] He departed Chelsea following the conclusion of 2025–26 season.[13]

AC Horsens

On 5 July 2026, it was announced that Tauriainen joined Danish Superliga club Horsens on a free transfer.[14]

International career

Tauriainen has represented Finland from under-15 to under-21 level.[1]

Personal life

Tauriainen hails from a football family; his father, Pasi, is a former international for Finland, while his elder brother, Julius, currently plays for Finnish side Lahti.[2] His grandfather, Veikko and his uncles, Kimmo and Vesa, are also former footballers.[2][15]

Career statistics

As of match played 26 August 2025[16]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Chelsea U21 2022–23 ————1[a]010
2023–24 ————0000
2024–25 ————0000
2025–26 ————1[a]010
Total 000000002020
Chelsea 2023–24 Premier League 101000——20
Career total 101000002040
  1. 1 2 Appearance in EFL Trophy

Honours

Chelsea

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Jimi Tauriainen at WorldFootball.net
  2. 1 2 3 "Suomalainen futislupaus solmi ammattilaissopimuksen Chelsean kanssa" [The Finnish football star signed a professional contract with Chelsea]. mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). 9 March 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  3. ↑ Korvenkari, Mikko (29 April 2020). "RoPS-legenda Pasi Tauriainen hengittää yhä jalkapalloa – Juuri nyt silmäteränä ovat ammattilaiseksi siirtyvät omat pojat" [RoPS legend Pasi Tauriainen still breathes football – Right now, the focus is on his own sons who are turning professional]. lapinkansa.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 December 2022. (subscription required)
  4. ↑ Kinsella, Nizaar (10 March 2020). "Chelsea beat Juventus & Inter to sign 16-year-old Finland ace Tauriainen". goal.com. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  5. ↑ Chatterjee, Sayan (10 March 2020). "Jimi Tauriainen poses with Frank Lampard in Chelsea shirt as Blues reportedly seal move for Finnish starlet". tribuna.com. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  6. ↑ "HJK:n Jimi Tauriainen siirtyy Chelsean riveihin" [HJK's Jimi Tauriainen moves to Chelsea]. hjk-j.fi (in Finnish). 10 March 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  7. ↑ "Jimi Tauriainen uudessa roolissa Chelseassa – "Koen, että vahvuuteni pääsevät esiin keskellä"" [Jimi Tauriainen in a new role at Chelsea – "I feel that my strengths come out in the middle"]. palloliitto.fi (in Finnish). 19 September 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  8. ↑ Tuominen, Mico (9 March 2021). "Virallista! Hyökkääjälupaus Jimi Tauriainen solmi ammattilaissopimuksen Chelsean kanssa" [Official! Forward promise Jimi Tauriainen signed a professional contract with Chelsea]. valioliiga.com (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  9. ↑ Tuominen, Mico (7 July 2021). "Virallista! Hyökkääjälupaus Jimi Tauriainen, 17, allekirjoitti uuden sopimuksen Chelsean kanssa" [Official! Forward promise Jimi Tauriainen, 17, signed a new contract with Chelsea]. valioliiga.com (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  10. ↑ Jimi Tauriainen, 19, Chelsean vaihtopenkillä liigacupin finaalissa, Yle, 25 February 2024
  11. ↑ "Match Report: Chelsea 3–2 Leeds". chelseafc.com. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  12. ↑ Chelsean Jimi Tauriainen, 20, debytoi Valioliigassa, Helsingin Sanomat, 3 May 2024
  13. ↑ "Player Contracts: Four players to depart". Chelsea F.C. 10 June 2026. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  14. ↑ "AC Horsens henter finsk U21-landsholdsspiller i Chelsea". achorsens.dk (in Danish). 4 July 2026. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "Julius Tauriainen – Jalkapallosuvun soihdunkantaja". FC Lahti (in Finnish). Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  16. ↑ Jimi Tauriainen at Soccerway
  17. ↑ McNulty, Phil (25 February 2024). "Carabao Cup final: Chelsea 0–1 Liverpool (aet)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  • Profile at the Chelsea F.C. website