Xabi Alonso is set for a hectic summer behind the scenes as he takes on the role as Chelsea manager at the beginning of July
07:00, 29 May 2026
Alejandro Garnacho celebrates
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Alejandro Garnacho could leave Chelsea after just one season(Image: Ben Stansall/AFP)
Xabi Alonso will already be thinking, and in constant discussion with the Chelsea board, about where the squad he will inherit in July can be improved.
The Spaniard is set to begin his four-year contract in just over a month's time, with the former Real Madrid boss expected to be given plenty of power when it comes to the club's transfer business, this summer and beyond.
It is no secret that Chelsea really struggled when it came to scoring goals last season, particularly towards the end of the miserable campaign. To put that into some perspective: the Blues scored just five goals in their final nine Premier League matches of the season.
At the club at the moment, before anyone is signed or leaves, Alonso has more than £423million (combined transfer fees Chelsea paid, not including add-ons) worth of attacking talent to choose from. However, it seems impossible that they will all be at Stamford Bridge next season, with numerous expected to move on this summer.
With that being said, we take a look at the 'dream' set of attacking options for Chelsea at the start of the 2026/27 season. This is part of a mini-series by f ootball.london , with the midfield, defence and goalkeeper situations all to be assessed in the near future.
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What needs to be done
Straight off the bat, Alonso will know there are some really talented footballers - in an attacking sense - for him to work with. Cole Palmer, Estevao Willian and Joao Pedro immediately spring to mind.
In Palmer and Joao Pedro, you have two footballers ready in the here and now, though the former's 2025/26 showing suggests differently. In Estevao, the future of Chelsea is right there. With the right coaching, the sky is the limit for the Brazil international.
Estevao Willian celebrates
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Estevao Willian celebrates scoring for Chelsea(Image: Andrew Kearns - CameraSport)
Alonso will be hoping Estevao can recover from his grade four hamstring injury, a problem that is keeping him out of this summer's World Cup, as early as possible. However, the Spaniard will work alongside the club's medical department to ensure the correct 'Return to Work' protocol is followed. In an ideal world, Alonso will work with Estevao in pre-season, but we do not know just yet when the teenage winger will return.
Right there, three boxes ticked. No.9, No.10 and right winger. The incoming Chelsea manager knows an improvement must be made on the left-hand side of the attack. The Blues, sources say, are prioritising signing a left-sided wide option in the coming months.
Plenty of names have been linked, chief among them being Morgan Rogers, who Chelsea hold a long-term interest in. Aston Villa, though, will try to bleed interested clubs dry when it comes to their valuation of the England international.
Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers
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Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers embrace(Image: Catherine Ivill - AMA)
Given his injury nightmare during the second half of the season, surely it's only fair to give Jamie Gittens another season - or, if you're that against that idea, another half of a campaign. The England Under-21 international did struggle in the first half of the season, but showed glimpses of the raw talent Chelsea saw when they paid more than £50m to Borussia Dortmund last summer.
Alejandro Garnacho, however, played almost double Gittens' minutes in all competitions and failed to impress. So much so, that there were rumblings of boos from his own supporters at times during his debut season. There have been whispers that Garnacho, after just one season at Stamford Bridge, could be shipped elsewhere this summer.
Alejandro Garnacho
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Alejandro Garnacho's Chelsea future is in doubt(Image: Jacques Feeney/Offside)
Pedro Neto is reliable in the sense of his hard work, although there have to be some question marks over his attitude and mentality - to be fair, the same thing can be said about multiple players in Chelsea's squad. Neto's output is not where it should be, but as an option from the bench, the Blues could do much worse. It's also important to note: Chelsea don't want to do too much business in one summer - that doesn't often work out.
Geovany Quenda, the exciting Portuguese teenager, will arrive from Sporting CP this summer. The 19-year-old is expected to be part of the first-team picture in west London next season, though it would be unfair to expect too much from the teenage prospect as he acclimatises to life in a new country. Crucially, Quenda is versatile and can play on either side.
Likewise with academy talents Jesse Derry and Ryan Kavuma-McQueen. Chelsea supporters will be hoping to see more of the two Cobham attackers in the first-team fold next season, but that very much depends on what the club do in the summer transfer window.
Chelsea academy attacker Ryan Kavuma-McQueen
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Ryan Kavuma-McQueen is a big talent in the Chelsea academy(Image: Chris Lee - Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
As for the No.10 role, Palmer is expected to be Alonso's playmaker. Chelsea supporters will point to the impact the former Bayer Leverkusen boss had on Liverpool's Florian Wirtz during their time together at the German club. If Alonso can have a similar relationship with Palmer, that would be season-changing from the Blues' point of view.
Joao Pedro is another option as a No.10, with many believing it is the Brazil international's natural position. The versatile 24-year-old, though, who finished the 2025/26 season with 20 goals in all competitions, flourished further up the pitch in his debut campaign.
Enzo Fernandez could leave in the coming months. football.london understands while Chelsea would prefer to keep the Argentina international, they would not stand in his way should an offer in the region of £120m arrive. So, for the sake of this article, let's look ahead to a world where Fernandez is no longer a Chelsea player.
Chelsea's Argentinian midfielder #08 Enzo Fernandez celebrates scoring the team's first goal during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge in London on May 19, 2026
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Enzo Fernandez during Chelsea's clash against Tottenham Hotspur(Image: Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP via Getty Images)
If that is the case, we could see more of Andrey Santos as a No.10. More often than not, the versatile Brazilian midfielder has been used in a deeper role but he can operate in a more advanced position as well. Sources say Chelsea are looking for a starting-level central midfielder this summer, so they may hunt someone who can also play in the No.10 role.
As for the No.9 position, there is a world where Nicolas Jackson returns to Stamford Bridge following his loan spell at Bayern Munich. The Senegal international, sources say, is open to the idea of coming back to west London, although no definitive decision has been made yet in that regard.
Emmanuel Emegha will arrive from Strasbourg and the Dutchman isn't going with the Netherlands this summer to the World Cup, so will theoretically have more time to train with Alonso. If Jackson and Emegha are both part of the first team at Stamford Bridge next season, there needs to be questions over the futures of Liam Delap and Marc Guiu.
The latter has hardly played, so is expected to leave in the summer, while Delap failed to impress - finishing with just two goals - in his debut season at the club.
It's time for Shim Mheuka, who was outstanding in the club's academy in 2025/26, to get first-team experience, so a loan move could be the best option. Dastan Satpaev, arriving in the summer from Kairat Almaty, is likely to be loaned out as well.
Right wing options
Cole Palmer
Pedro Neto
Estevao Willian
Geovany Quenda
Jamie Gittens
Left wing options
Jamie Gittens
New signing
Geovany Quenda
Pedro Neto
Estevao Willian
Jesse Derry
Ryan Kavuma-McQueen
No.10 options
Cole Palmer
Joao Pedro
Estevao Willian
New signing
Andrey Santos
No.9 options
Joao Pedro
Nicolas Jackson
Emmanuel Emegha
Sold
Alejandro Garnacho
Liam Delap
Article continues below
Marc Guiu
Loaned out
Shim Mheuka
Dastan Satpaev