Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso during a press conference
Xabi Alonso during a press conference(Image: David Gray - AFP)
View 2 Images
Chelsea supporters were desperate for Xabi Alonso to be given more power than his predecessors in the summer transfer window - and they got their wish.
When the Blues confirmed the appointment of the Spaniard, who signed a four-year contract, Stamford Bridge insiders said Alonso had been given the role of 'manager' rather than 'head coach' to essentially hand him the keys to the supercar.
Over a hectic summer window, Chelsea brought in a total of 10 first-team players, and even broke their transfer record along the way by spending £117million on Morgan Rogers. Alonso was heavily involved in the majority of incomings over the summer and the Blues manager also played a big part in an enormous clear out at Stamford Bridge.
After a bitterly disappointing 2025/26 campaign, there were a lot of Chelsea players deemed surplus to requirements and told to look for new clubs. One of those was Benoit Badiashile, who despite showing promise when he first signed for the west Londoners in January 2023, has never lived up to his promise during his time in England.
Injuries more than played their part in Badiashile's difficult three-and-a-half years in SW6 but even when he was fit, the Frenchman was prone to making individual mistakes. Chelsea looked to sell the 25-year-old defender over the summer but were unsuccessful.
Chelsea did get them off this season's books at least, with Napoli agreeing a loan deal with the Blues for the 26/27 campaign. Sources say that the Naples-based club paid Chelsea a loan fee of £2.5m and also possess a £23m option to make the deal permanent next summer.
The early indications, however, are not good from Chelsea's point of view.
Since signing for Napoli, Badiashile has featured just once. That was a 10-minute cameo in the 3-2 defeat to Inter Milan on September 5 - Badiashile's debut - and it was a nightmare for the Chelsea loanee.
Benoit Badiashile
Benoit Badiashile has struggled for minutes on loan at Napoli this season(Image: Marco Canoniero/LightRocket)
View 2 Images
Marcus Thuram outjumped Badiashile for Inter's second goal and the defender was also partly to blame for the home side's winning goal at the San Siro.
That was the last we saw of Badiashile in a Napoli shirt. For whatever reason, Massimiliano Allegri has not used the defender since - he has sat on the bench against Arsenal, Bologna and Fiorentina in recent games.
Reports from Italy, via Sport Witness, claim there are 'doubts' from Allegri's point of view when it comes to Badiashile. The report also says Allegri was hoping Badiashile could become a key player immediately in Naples but that has not gone to plan.
That £23m Chelsea crave for Badiashile looks pretty far away at the moment, especially in relation to Napoli paying it. It is, of course, very early in the season and things can change but the initial indications suggest Badiashile will be returning to Stamford Bridge next summer.