Xabi Alonso’s pre-season plans have taken a bit of a hit after an injury update on Emmanuel Emegha.
Emmanuel Emegha hit the ground running for Chelsea, scoring in both of his opening pre-season friendlies against Bromley and Crawley Town.
However, his momentum was cut short after picking up a hamstring injury against Bromley.
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This will have a knock-on effect for the likes of Nicolas Jackson and Liam Delap, who have now been presented with an opportunity to state their case in the absence of Emegha.
Plus, you’ve now got Omari Kellyman in the pre-season squad, which adds even more pressure.
Emmanuel Emegha to miss the whole of pre-season through injury
Emmanuel Emegha’s hamstring issue looks to be a bit more severe than first thought.
According to Nizaar Kinsella of the BBC, he is expected to be back in time for the start of the Premier League season but will likely miss the overseas pre-season tour.
This comes at possibly the worst time for Emegha after his two goals in pre-season, which arguably put him in the driving seat for a place behind Joao Pedro in the goalscoring ranks.
Xabi Alonso faces a striker headache at Chelsea
This leaves Xabi Alonso facing a genuine selection dilemma. Does he press ahead with selling both Nicolas Jackson and Liam Delap, or does Emmanuel Emegha’s sudden setback inject some doubt into his plans? Keeping at least one of them as insurance against further forward injuries might now be a risk worth taking.
Sanctioning both departures without guaranteed cover leaves Chelsea dangerously thin up front.
Of course, there is no European football, but let’s not forget that the Blues already have the largest squad with 38 players, and the Premier League limit is 25, so there needs to be movement.
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