This week, five World Cup players will return to Chelsea and link up with Xabi Alonso for the first time. Pre-season is well underway, and the players will fly to Australia at the end of the week.
Xabi Alonso even took charge of his first game as Chelsea manager on Saturday, a behind-closed-doors friendly against Crawley. A mixture of first-team players and youngsters helped secure a 3-1 victory.
Where would this Chelsea team finish? 👀
Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap and Emmanuel Emegha all got their names on the score sheet. Three players who still have an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge this summer – with one of Delap or Emegha to go.
Alonso will feel his squad is already on the large side, especially with Chelsea failing to qualify for Europe. But this week, the Spanish gaffer will welcome five new players to training this week after their break.
Three players to learn their fate under Alonso this week
The Mail’s Kieran Gill lists when Chelsea’s World Cup stars will return, and he expects five players to return to Cobham this week: Jorrel Hato, Moises Caicedo, Kendry Paez, Mamadou Sarr and Nicolas Jackson.
Ecuador, Senegal, and the Netherlands all reached the last 32 stage of the World Cup before elimination. While Gill’s prediction might not be the exact reality, it is when he expects the players to return.
Hato might not be an untouchable, but he should be. Meanwhile, Caicedo is one of the seven considered untouchable by Chelsea. That leaves Paez, Jackson, and Sarr with doubts over the future of all three.
It could be then that Sarr, Jackson, and Paez will learn their fate for the 2026-27 season when they return to training in the coming days. Of the three, reports suggest Jackson is the likeliest to remain at Chelsea.
What will Alonso do with Paez, Sarr and Jackson?
Of the three players, a decision will already be made with Paez. After two disappointing loan spells with Strasbourg and River Plate – the latter of which was cancelled early – another loan is now expected.
Chelsea might not even be averse to a permanent sale of Paez, but given his age, a loan seems much more likely. Then there is Sarr, who was recalled by Chelsea in January from Strasbourg by Liam Rosenior.
He struggled to even get in the team towards the end of the season, with Calum McFarlane indicating that Chelsea had too many options at centre-back. Sarr has been linked with Como, and even RB Leipzig.
Nicolas Jackson can thrive under Xabi Alonso 🔥
He was a threat for Senegal against France!
Chelsea need to remove arguably half of their centre-backs this summer and Sarr will do well to remain. Jackson is the interesting one, especially with Chelsea managing to do a deal to sign Morgan Rogers.
Chelsea might have kept Jackson due to his left-wing versatility, but the same role was pitched to Rogers in talks. Jackson will have to compete with Delap and Emegha to provide competition for Joao Pedro.
Many clubs have been linked with Jackson, including Aston Villa. His name was mentioned in Rogers talks with Unai Emery a big fan after working with him at Villarreal. The plan is he will travel to Australia.
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