Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
Chelsea were still keen to add to their defensive reinforcements after the signing of Maxence Lacroix during the summer, although one player they missed out on has already picked up an expected injury.
Lacroix has walked straight into the starting side at Stamford Bridge, however there were questions asked of Xabi Alonso when he decided to rest the Frenchman for the physical challenge Hull City brought on Saturday.
It became clear that the new manager didn’t have much faith in many of the options who were originally available to him. Trevoh Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi have all been moved on.
Split image with four players, which includes: Bruno Guimaraes, Lamine Camara, Alex Scott and Manu Kone
Split image with four players, which includes: Bruno Guimaraes, Lamine Camara, Alex Scott and Manu Kone
Former Chelsea target John Stones picks up first injury since summer move
John Stones emerged as a target for the club after it became clear he was not going to sign a new contract with Manchester City, however decided to take on the challenge of playing in Serie A and ended up moving to Inter Milan.
The England international’s start to life in Italy has been put on hold though. He has suffered a flexor injury during their recent victory over Udinese.
Fitness woes have unfortunately plagued Stones’ career since he became a first team regular, and this is just the latest in a run of issues that have likely kept him back from reaching his potential.
Given Chelsea’s current injury record, they could not afford another player they would have brought in to have already been on the treatment table.
FC Internazionale v Udinese Calcio - Serie A 2026/27
Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images
Moises Caicedo has played just a handful of minutes so far this season, and is not set to feature for the Blues before the international break.
There has also been no sighting of Marco Palestra or Jordan Henderson since their signings over the summer, however there is more positivity that they will be fit enough to face Brentford on Friday night.
Chelsea not signing Stones has actually cleared a pathway for Josh Acheampong to play a regular role under Alonso, after there was talk of him growing frustrated over the summer.
The youngster has started four of the club’s six games so far this season, opportunities they would almost certainly not have had if Stones had joined.