With nine Premier League clubs set to debut new managers this season, a record in English top-flight history, there are plenty of unknowns ahead of the new campaign. Well, Chelsea might just be the biggest unknown of them all. Xabi Alonso has taken over as manager, after working wonders at Bayer Leverkusen, delivering an unbeaten domestic double, claiming the club's first-ever Meisterschale, he was then booted out of Real Madrid after less than six months in the job.
Now, following last season's tenth place finish, Alonso has plenty of work to do to turn Chelsea into a force once again. With no European football, the Spaniard will surely be looking to unearth a generally pretty settled starting XI, making it not ideal that the Blues currently have 44 senior players on their books. So, a week and a half away from their Premier League opener against Fulham at Craven Cottage, we run through the three most competitive position battles in Alonso's squad.
Centre-back
- Current centre-back options:
- Maxence Lacroix
- Levi Colwill
- Wesley Fofana
- Tosin Adarabioyo
- Mamadou Sarr
- Josh Acheampong
- Aarón Anselmino
Maxence Lacroix has joined from Crystal Palace for £52 million, strongly suggesting he will be the first-choice starter. Alongside however, the other spot, or spots, are up for grabs. It is widely expected that Alonso will favour the 3-4-2-1 formation that brought him so much success in the Bundesliga; this was the formation used for the last two pre-season friendlies against Johor Darul Ta'zim and A.C. Milan. Thus, this would leave two positions alongside the new Frenchman.
Right now, it would seem likely that Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana will be first-choice. Neither went to the World Cup after suffering long-term injuries last season, so this should mean the pair are fresh and raring to go this season. Assuming Benoît Badiashile does join Napoli, which seems likely at the time of publication, Alonso has four remaining centre-back options, behind the forecast first-choice trio, but the back three system would mean he requires an array of players.
Attacking midfield
- Current attacking midfielder options:
- Cole Palmer
- Morgan Rogers
- Enzo Fernández
- Estêvão Willian
- Pedro Neto
- Jamie Gittens
- Mykhailo Mudryk
- Geovany Quenda
- Omari Kellyman
Having gazumped Arsenal's offer, Chelsea landed Morgan Rogers for £117 million, the former Aston Villa forward becoming the most-expensive British player of all-time. Given the fee, and just how talented Rogers is, you can be certain he will be a starting figure. Assuming it is the aforementioned 3-4-2-1 formation, this leaves just one other winger or number ten role, with Cole Palmer likely to be deployed from the left-side, with his great friend shaded towards the opposite flank.
Palmer's exclusion from Thomas Tuchel's England squad means that the 24 year old has enjoyed a full pre-season programme, unlike most other elite-level Premier League players. However, there are plenty of other players hoping to earn one of these spots. The most popular, among supporters, is Estêvão Willian, who also did not go to the World Cup, after suffering a hamstring injury in April. In a 4-2-3-1, Estêvão and Rogers could be used out-wide with Palmer the number ten but, in Alonso's usual formation, there is only really room for two.
Given this surplus, the returning Mykhailo Mudryk, who has not played in a competitive fixture for almost two years due to a drugs ban, could leave on loan, while the futures of Pedro Neto and Jamie Gittens are also uncertain. In short, this is surely the area of the Chelsea squad with the most depth, and perhaps quality too.
Centre-forward
- Current striker options
- João Pedro
- Danny Welbeck
- Nicolas Jackson
- Liam Delap
- Marc Guiu
- Emmanuel Emegha
Amazingly, Chelsea have somehow ended up with six centre-forwards in their squad, when they only really need three at a push. Liam Delap and Marc Guiu are very obviously surplus to requirements, while Emmanuel Emegha, who was Strasbourg's captain, has not played a single minute in pre-season; did the Blues forget they signed him?
Meantime, after Bayern Munich did not activate Nicolas Jackson's €65 million option to buy, the Senegalese international's future is also up in the air. Veteran Danny Welbeck has arrived, after scoring 13 Premier League goals for Brighton last season, set to be João Pedro's back-up, after the Brazilian netted 20 times across all competitions. Right now, Chelsea have way too many central strikers, but that'll surely change before the 1 September deadline.
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