Xabi Alonso\u2019s arrival at Chelsea has changed the mood around Stamford Bridge after a tumultuous 2025\u201326 campaign. The World Cup will distort the summer transfer market and tournament performances are likely to lift prices. Alonso appears to have more leeway than recent predecessors to shape the squad and the Blues have clear areas to address.<\/p>\n
Mike Maignan
\nMike Maignan has signed a contract extension with AC Milan since he was strongly linked with a move to Chelsea last summer. However, with the Rossoneri embarking on a great reset, the Blues may wish to try their luck once more as they search for a new No. 1.
\nGroup stage matches: Senegal (June 16), Iraq (June 22), Norway (June 26)<\/p>\n
James Trafford
\nThere is plenty of interest in Manchester City\u2019s James Trafford, with Chelsea one of several Premier League clubs linked. Trafford shone in the domestic cups for the Cityzens and will operate behind Jordan Pickford in the depth chart this summer. Something disastrous would have to happen for Trafford to play at this World Cup.
\nGroup stage matches: Croatia (June 17), Ghana (June 23), Panama (June 27)<\/p>\n
Joel Ordo\u00f1ez
\nEcuador arrive with a stout defence and Club Brugge\u2019s Joel Ordo\u00f1ez looks set to elevate his stock. A well rounded centre back with athleticism and ball-playing ability, he has only been tenuously linked to the Blues so far.
\nGroup stage matches: C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire (June 14), Cura\u00e7ao (June 20), Germany (June 25)<\/p>\n
Ousmane Diomande
\nChelsea\u2019s interest in Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande is long standing. The idea of the Ivorian arriving at Stamford Bridge has surfaced in recent windows and the World Cup could prompt a decisive move.
\nGroup stage matches: Ecuador (June 14), Germany (June 20), Cura\u00e7ao (June 26)<\/p>\n
Jan Paul van Hecke
\nJan Paul van Hecke looks to be on his way to Tottenham Hotspur, but a deal with Brighton & Hove Albion has not been completed. Previous managers liked Van Hecke at the Bridge and his passing out of defence would suit Alonso\u2019s build-up approach.
\nGroup stage matches: Japan (June 14), Sweden (June 20), Tunisia (June 26)<\/p>\n
Valent\u00edn Barco
\nBlueCo got their hands on Valent\u00edn Barco last summer, joining Strasbourg. A year on, the versatile Argentinian is readying himself for a return to the Premier League. Barco previously made six appearances for Brighton as a teenager, and will now be a part of Alonso\u2019s roster for 2026\u201327.
\nGroup stage matches: Algeria (June 17), Austria (June 22), Jordan (June 28)<\/p>\n
Lucas Bergvall
\nChelsea made an ambitious approach for Spurs\u2019 Lucas Bergvall in January and have kept tabs on the Swede since. Their survival probably rules out a summer move, but Bergvall remains one to watch.
\nGroup stage matches: Tunisia (June 14), Netherlands (June 20), Japan (June 25)<\/p>\n
Morgan Rogers
\nMorgan Rogers drew attention after a productive season with Aston Villa. He will have a major role for England this summer and Chelsea face competition given a lack of Champions League football.
\nGroup stage matches: Croatia (June 17), Ghana (June 23), Panama (June 27)<\/p>\n
Arda G\u00fcler
\nXabi Alonso struggled to get a tune out of many players during his brief stint with Real Madrid, but one man who did respond was Arda G\u00fcler. It would take a mammoth offer to persuade Madrid to sell, but G\u00fcler may be swayed by Alonso\u2019s presence in west London.
\nGroup stage matches: Australia (June 13), Paraguay (June 19), United States (June 25)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Alonso inherits a rebuilding task at Chelsea; World Cup displays could reshape summer targets ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14258,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[190,172],"tags":[1721],"class_list":["post-14259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea","category-epl","tag-arda-guler"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14259","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=14259"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14259\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}