Chelsea
Eghbali Responds to Chelsea Unrest: Recruitment, Maresca Exit and Rosenior’s Challenge
Eghbali responds to fan unrest, outlines recruitment tweaks, defends Rosenior and backs Fernández…
Chelsea ownership and supporters will confront each other this weekend as a sizeable protest, involving both Chelsea and Strasbourg fans, targets the group led by Clearlake Capital’s Behdad Eghbali. The demonstrations have crystallised around transfer policy, managerial changes and the club’s direction.
“For the fans, we care,” Eghbali stressed. “We want the club to be successful. We’re focused on delivering that on-pitch performance.” He acknowledged widespread criticism of a recruitment model that prioritises young, high-potential signings over experienced senior players, and accepted that adjustments are needed.
“There’s a full reflection on what we can do better, what we can improve on,” Eghbali acknowledged. “There is a plan. We reflect on the plan. We try to improve the plan and tweak the plan if it’s not working. The message is we’re committed.
“I think we’ve done a few things right, a lot of things right. We’ve got to be better on a few things, to add more ready-made players at this part of the project, to take [it] to the next level, to be consistent over time.
“We recognize we need balance. We have world champions, we have Champions League winners, we have elite, elite young players. Experience has developed now. The team has been together for two or three years. The objective is to keep your best players, and we’ve done that, and there’s no intention to rebuild every three or four years. You tweak a model, you improve, you learn from mistakes.”
Fan unrest accelerated after the January departure of Enzo Maresca. The sacking followed a reported breakdown in his relationship with those above him and prompted open criticism from some players and a vocal response in the stands, with Eghbali’s name frequently sung alongside calls for the return of the previous owner.
“Our policy has been no in-season changes,” Eghbali confessed. “You certainly review and hold not only the manager, but the management team, the sporting team, accountable, but typically in the summers, not in season.
“It’s not a change we wanted to make. It’s a change that had a bit of a negative impact in the season, when you’re changing systems and personnel, and it’s one we’ve got to fight our way out of.
“We still have six matches in the Premier League, and an FA Cup semifinal coming up. So hopefully the story of this season hasn’t been written yet, and you’ve got a lot to fight for. In my perspective, when you get punched in the face, you’ve got to fight back, you’ve got to stand up and fight. And it’s going to hopefully show a lot about the character of this squad.
“I think the perspective is stability, and frankly, getting that stability on the manager side is one of the things we haven’t done right yet, and it’s something we’re striving to improve on.”
Liam Rosenior, who replaced Maresca, has divided opinion. Eghbali defended him: “On Liam, we had the opportunity to work with him daily for 18-plus months, so we knew what we were getting,” Eghbali continued. “We think he has every attribute to be successful here.
“He got off to a great start. We’ve had a tough past five, six matches, but I think we’re behind Liam. Of course, it’s a results business, but we think he can be successful long term.”
The summer will also bring questions over Enzo Fernández after pro-Real Madrid interviews during the international break. Eghbali did not answer specifics but signalled Fernández remains central to the club’s plans. “Our goal is to have elite, elite players on the pitch, elite characters off the pitch that our fans can bond with, that will be at the club, that will be club legends for the next 10 or 15 years and beyond,” he explained.
Chelsea
Palmer’s England setback could strengthen Chelsea’s early-season momentum
Palmer’s England setback may disappoint him, but Chelsea can benefit from his extra rest.
Cole Palmer must wait a little longer for another chance to convince Thomas Tuchel on the England stage, but the delay may suit Chelsea just fine.
Palmer has not featured for England since March 2026 and missed this summer’s World Cup. A strong start to the 2026/27 season had earned him a recall, and Tuchel accepted that he deserved the opportunity to show he belongs in the squad full-time. That opportunity now looks set to slip away for the time being.
Inside Chelsea, there will be sympathy for the player, but also a clear sense that his absence from international duty could help club matters. The mood around the team is not especially bright after two defeats and a draw, yet Palmer has been one of the clearest positives under Xabi Alonso.
His return to form has been reflected in the numbers. Four goals and two assists in seven games represent an encouraging opening stretch, and Palmer himself has spoken about enjoying his football again in Alonso’s fluid forward line. Tactics have helped, but so has the value of a proper summer break.
Last season was hindered by the lingering effects of a groin injury, and his output dropped to 11 goals and three assists in all competitions. Given that context, being left out of England’s World Cup squad was painful but not unexpected. It also created the long recovery period he needed.
For the first time in months, Palmer was able to step away from the demands of match football and focus purely on recovery between May and August. That pause has clearly paid off in the opening weeks of the campaign.
Chelsea supporters wanted to see him back on the international stage, but few would oppose another three-week break if it produces the same level of sharpness. Tuchel, though, has made his stance clear. He values the same core of players and prioritises what he sees from them in an England shirt.
Since Tuchel arrived in January 2025, Palmer has played only 158 minutes for England across three appearances. Injuries and poor form have limited his chances, while others have moved ahead by making the most of their own opportunities.
Palmer has already worked his way back into Tuchel’s thinking once this month, and could do so again by maintaining his goals and assists for Chelsea. For now, however, the bar appears higher after another international window away from England.
Chelsea
Chelsea’s defensive start leaves Alonso in unwanted company
Chelsea’s early defensive record under Xabi Alonso has joined an unwanted Premier League list.
Chelsea’s early-season defensive troubles have placed Xabi Alonso in notable but unwelcome territory after the Brentford defeat.
The Chelsea manager has become only the sixth boss in Premier League history to see his team concede at least twice in each of their first five matches. Across those five league games, Chelsea have already shipped 12 goals, the worst defensive return in the division going into Saturday’s fixtures.
That puts Alonso alongside a short list of managers whose sides struggled badly from the outset. The figures show just how steep the problem has been:
Terry Connor conceded 16 goals, Sammy Lee and Scott Parker both conceded 13, Alonso and Slaviša Jokanović each conceded 12, and Mick McCarthy conceded 10.
There are, however, clear reasons why Chelsea have been so exposed. Alonso has been operating without Moisés Caicedo and Marco Palestra through injury, while captain Reece James was also unavailable against Brentford. Those absences have weakened the structure, although they cannot fully explain everything on their own.
One recurring issue has been defending set pieces. Jaidon Anthony’s opener on Friday marked the sixth time Chelsea have conceded from a dead-ball situation this season, which is already the highest such total in the league. Austin MacPhee was brought in during the summer as set-piece coach, but recent episodes suggest the work is still far from settled.
Chelsea’s switch to a back three has also not provided the expected protection. Rather than tightening things up, it has looked awkward and has left space for opponents to exploit.
The wider picture matters too. Since the start of 2026, no Premier League team has conceded more than Chelsea’s 43 goals. Alonso’s 12 in five games sit on top of a problem that predates him, with Liam Rosenior and Calum McFarlane having already overseen 31 goals conceded in 19 matches before his arrival.
Maxence Lacroix has arrived from Crystal Palace to strengthen the defence, but there is still a sense that Chelsea need more experience at the back to steady the unit.
Chelsea
Alonso identifies Chelsea’s problems after Brentford defeat
Alonso warned Chelsea need patience after a Brentford loss exposed their consistency, mentality and control.
Xabi Alonso asked for patience after one of the most difficult nights of his early Chelsea reign, but his post-match assessment made clear how many issues he believes remain unresolved.
Speaking after the loss at the Gtech Community Stadium, Alonso admitted that Chelsea have lost consistency and have yet to produce a full 90 minutes that he can trust. He said the side has struggled to sustain performance either within matches or from one weekend to the next, and that against Brentford they never established a spell in control.
The game itself was tight for an hour, with both teams pressing forward quickly after turnovers and then giving the ball back. Once Brentford scored, Chelsea collapsed badly. Alonso pointed first to mentality, saying: “We have dropped our consistency,” and adding that there was a lack of the “competitive mentality needed in the second half” from his side.
He also accepted that set-piece defending remains a problem, though he stressed it is only one part of a wider picture. Since the start of last season, Chelsea have conceded 22 set-piece goals, more than any other Premier League team.
Alonso also highlighted duels and ball progression as areas that need work. On the day, Chelsea actually came out well in the physical contests, winning 59% of ground duels and 53% in the air, but that did not translate into control. With the ball, Chelsea were slow and flat, and their 116 passes between Henderson and Barco never led into Brentford’s box.
The lack of threat became even more obvious after Chelsea fell behind in the 61st minute. They finished with 80% possession across the final half-hour, yet did not force a save from Caoimhin Kelleher.
Alonso said the team must learn how to hold shape when under pressure, and Chelsea’s failure in rest defense was underlined by Brentford’s second goal. Alonso said it was an area he had already worked on with the squad before the visit to Hounslow.
