Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Xabi Alonso will be eager to get his first Premier League game under his belt, however he will have to do it without Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana available for action.
The Frenchman has shown an improved level of fitness during the pre-season tour, with no injury problems to report so far for Fofana.
His ability to feature regularly has seemingly given him a massive boost for how his manager sees him. Alonso has been impressed by Fofana since taking over.
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Why is Wesley Fofana not available for Chelsea vs Fulham?
Fofana has seemed to fit into the Spaniard’s back-three system perfectly, with that looking like how he will line the Blues up for the opening weeks of the season.
However, the boss will need to come up with a new solution at the back for their opening fixture of the season, which comes against Fulham in the West London derby.
Chelsea v Real Sociedad - Pre-Season Friendly
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
This is because Fofana is suspended, following the red card he picked up on the final day of the 2025/26 season against Sunderland.
Chelsea were beaten 2-1 at the Stadium of Light, seeing them miss out on any form of European football for the upcoming campaign.
Many have argued this is a blessing in disguise for the Blues, who now have plenty more time on the training ground to bed in Alonso’s ideas.
Fofana’s red card was part of an ongoing trend amongst Chelsea players and coaches throughout last season. Their eight Premier League sending offs was more than double any other side.
This notably cost the Blues points from either winning or drawing positions, and will ultimately be seen as the biggest reason they finished as low as 10th.
Discipline will be one of the key factors which Alonso will be tasked with sorting out after last season, as he looks to be the man responsible for bringing the good times back to West London.