Chelsea\u2019s appointment of Xabi Alonso this summer signals a clear reset at Stamford Bridge. The club have struck a deal to bring Alonso in and he is expected to have latitude to assemble a squad to his own specifications. That promise of change creates distinct opportunities and risks for the current group.<\/p>\n
Cole Palmer is the most obvious beneficiary. Palmer \u201clooked like a superstar under Mauricio Pochettino and impressed throughout Enzo Maresca\u2019s first year,\u201d but the 2025\u201326 season has been difficult. Under Alonso he can expect a return to a central attacking midfield role, with freedom to drift into damaging positions. The draft compares Palmer\u2019s potential task to Florian Wirtz at Leverkusen, who produced double-figures for both goals and assists under Alonso and whose form prompted Liverpool to break their transfer record. Palmer\u2019s attributes make him a strong candidate to become the focal point of Alonso\u2019s midfield, and how the two work together could define both of their legacies at the club.<\/p>\n
Reece James occupies a more ambiguous position. If Alonso deploys the 3-4-2-1 system he used at Leverkusen, the right wing back role is available and would suit James if he can demonstrate the necessary fitness; the draft notes that wing back under Thomas Tuchel produced the best form of his career. Alternatively, if James can no longer meet the physical demands, a right-sided centre back role could be an option.<\/p>\n
Nicolas Jackson also looks well placed to benefit. He will return to Chelsea this summer after the conclusion of his loan with Bayern Munich. He is not a finished product, but his energy and willingness to run behind defences fit what Alonso asks of his front line, and a potential departure for Liam Delap could open a space for Jackson.<\/p>\n
At risk are Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens and Marc Cucurella. Garnacho\u2019s move last summer was driven by data and recruitment, and while his attitude has been excellent, \u201con the pitch, there has been very little success.\u201d He struggled to adapt to an inside forward role under Ruben Amorim at Manchester United. Gittens has underwhelmed on the field and faces recovery from a hamstring injury, while Cucurella is waiting on Alonso\u2019s final formation call and may be asked to revert to a wing back role if the 3-4-2-1 returns. Alonso\u2019s tactical preferences will quickly reveal who thrives and who must reinvent themselves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Alonso’s arrival forces tactical choices at Chelsea. Three clear beneficiaries and three at risk…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13884,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[190,172],"tags":[1081,227,1162],"class_list":["post-13885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea","category-epl","tag-adaptation","tag-alejandro-garnacho","tag-analytics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13885"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13885\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}