Chelsea summer signing is making Alonso’s decision increasingly difficult
Marco Palestra is beginning to make his Chelsea adaptation look unusually straightforward.
The 21-year-old produced another encouraging display against Juventus on Wednesday, with the Marco Palestra performance strengthening his claim for meaningful first-team minutes under Xabi Alonso this season.
Palestra started at right-back and was one of Chelsea’s biggest attacking threats. The club’s official report highlighted his combination with Geovany Quenda before noting that Mattia Perin denied him Chelsea’s best opportunity after half-time.
Marco Palestra magic feet. More take ons than Pedro Neto entire Chelsea career pic.twitter.com/qB9TGy5bbk
— TalkChelsea (@AChelsea4ever) July 28, 2026
This was not simply a lively cameo against tired opposition.
Palestra played 65 minutes and regularly gave Chelsea an outlet down the right. His movement beyond Quenda caused Juventus problems, while Moises Caicedo almost created a goal for him with an excellent pass shortly after the interval.
ReadChelsea’s player ratings gave Palestra 7.5/10, highlighting how naturally he combined with Quenda and attacked the space outside the winger. He was described as making a serious claim for meaningful minutes this season.
That is becoming difficult for Alonso to overlook.
Chelsea did not sign Palestra purely as a long-term project. He arrived after making 37 Serie A appearances for Cagliari last season and can operate as either a full-back or wing-back.
His willingness to attack space is particularly useful when Chelsea face compact opponents. Juventus often defended deep, yet Palestra continued trying to stretch their shape rather than simply recycling possession.
Alonso has options on Chelsea’s right
Chelsea already possess significant competition on that side of the pitch.
Reece James remains captain, while Josh Acheampong can play at right-back or centre-back. Malo Gusto provides another established Premier League option when the full squad is available.
Palestra offers Alonso something slightly different.
His natural instinct is to advance quickly and support the winger outside him. That partnership was already visible with Quenda, giving Chelsea width without asking their right-sided attacker to remain permanently on the touchline.
ReadChelsea’s analysis of the Juventus defeat also picked out Palestra as one of Chelsea’s encouraging young performers, noting his willingness to step forward whenever space appeared.
The Sun also praised his attacking threat and combination with Quenda during Wednesday’s defeat.
Pre-season performances should not completely reshape a hierarchy.
Palestra has, however, done exactly what a new signing needs to do. He has given Alonso another credible option rather than simply another player to develop.
The next challenge is making himself impossible to leave out once the competitive games begin.
dave.sport is in beta
We are building a new home for independent sports coverage. dave.sport is currently in beta, with new features and publisher tools rolling out as we test what fans need most.
Explore the beta
Chelsea 0-1 Juventus: Three things we learnt from Hong Kong defeat
Chelsea 0-1 Juventus: Three things we learnt from Hong Kong defeat
How Mykhailo Mudryk could fit into Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea
How Mykhailo Mudryk could fit into Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea