Chelsea have plenty of work to do before the summer transfer window shuts at 11pm on Tuesday, September 1.
Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea shakes hands with team mate Joao Pedro during the pre-season friendly match between Chelsea and Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge on August 15, 2026 in London, England
Enzo Fernandez can still turn things around at Chelsea(Image: Photo by Chris Lee - Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
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The Chelsea sporting leadership team have plenty of work to do before the transfer window slams shut. So far this summer, the Blues have forked out just under £250million on new players and recuperated almost £160m from sales, but there's still lots of business to be done in the coming days.
Chelsea leapt out of the gates at the start of the window, signing Marco Palestra from Atalanta. By the end of July, the Blues had prised Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix from Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, respectively, adding Premier League-proven quality to Xabi Alonso's side.
Chelsea sandwiched the signing of Valentin Barco from Strasbourg between the arrivals of Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson. The new Blues manager then finally got his hands on Pep Chavarria after long and difficult negotiations with Rayo Vallecano.
In the meantime, Chelsea cashed in on Marc Cucurella, Andrey Santos, Tyrique George, and Trevoh Chalobah, while also finding loans for Alejandro Garnacho, whose deal includes an easily achievable buy clause, Filip Jorgensen, and Dastan Satpaev.
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Despite having wrapped up the bulk of the business well in advance of deadline day, there's still work to be done. So, with that being said, football.london has looked at what Chelsea need to do before the transfer window slams shut at 11pm on Tuesday, September 1.
Chelsea resolve Fernandez future
Chelsea need to resolve the future of Enzo Fernandez before the transfer window shuts, whether that means flogging him to the highest bidder or tying him down to a new contract. The Blues would be much better positioned to compete on all fronts with the 25-year-old alongside Moises Caicedo in the middle of the park, but if he wants to leave, then he needs to leave.
Equally, if Fernandez wants to stay at Chelsea, then he needs to publicly communicate his stance, and perhaps put pen to paper on new terms to prove his loyalty. If the Argentina international were to do so, he'd earn back the trust of those who booed him upon his return to Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.
Enzo Fernandez during the pre-season friendly match between Chelsea and Real Sociedad.
Enzo Fernandez received a mixed reception upon his return to Stamford Bridge. (Image: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
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A large section of the match-going fanbase, particularly those in the Matthew Harding and Shed End, have already proved that they're ready to back Fernandez, having leapt to his defence by chanting his name at the weekend, so he's not burned all his bridges just yet.
Ultimately, Chelsea cannot allow the saga to disrupt preparations for the opening game of the new Premier League season, let alone the remainder of the campaign. Alonso should be afforded the luxury of starting from a clean slate.
Alonso axes 13 Chelsea players
While Chelsea figure out what to do with Fernandez, they need to offload those who are surplus to requirements and find loans for those who could do with a few more minutes this season. Even without stragglers on the fringes of the first team, Alonso has a pretty big squad, and, in the event of an injury crisis, the likes of Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli from the academy proved during pre-season that they're more than capable of stepping up to the plate.
Xabi Alonso before the pre-season friendly match between Chelsea and Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge.
Xabi Alonso is building a new look Chelsea team(Image: Chelsea Football Club/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
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To be sold: Pedro Neto, Liam Delap, Marc Guiu, Malo Gusto, Benoit Badiashile, Tosin Adarabioyo, Axel Disasi, David Datro Fofana.
To be loaned: Emmanuel Emegha, Mykhailo Mudryk, Dario Essugo, Aaron Anselmino, Gabriel Slonina.
Chelsea make one more signing
Even if Alonso manages to convince Fernandez to stay, Chelsea still need to sign one more midfielder before the transfer window slams shut. Although Reece James and Romeo Lavia are great options in the middle of the park, the former could be required to play elsewhere at any time; meanwhile, history suggests the latter can't always be relied upon, given his injury record.
Of course, Valentin Barco and Jordan Henderson are available for selection, too, but the Blues need to bridge the gulf in quality in options. Alex Scott would be a great addition to the Chelsea squad, providing Alonso with a natural alternative to Fernandez, Caicedo, James, and Lavia.
To be signed: Alex Scott.