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Jason Cundy suggests £47m summer signing already has a problem under Xabi Alonso at Chelsea
Pedro Neto of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team’s second goal with teammates and Xabi Alonso, Manager of Chelsea, during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Everton and Chelsea FC
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Chelsea spent £47 million to sign Marco Palestra from Atalanta in the summer after he enjoyed a spectacular breakthrough season on loan at Cagliari. The Italian was named Serie A’s Best Defender and recognised as the league’s fastest player.
However, Palestra has had a difficult start at Stamford Bridge after missing the first five Premier League games with a hamstring injury. He made his first start in Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Manchester United but struggled at times.
Former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy has now identified a problem the 21-year-old must overcome under Xabi Alonso. Palestra still has plenty to learn about defending at the highest level in English football.
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Jason Cundy identifies early problem for Chelsea’s Marco Palestra
Marco Palestra is a natural wing-back who thrives going forward, but he has looked less assured defensively. His questionable defending was exposed at times during Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Manchester United on Saturday.
“I think it’s fair to say that he struggled in moments in that first half,” Jason Cundy said on talkSPORT’s Inside Football podcast. “I think there’s a physicality and a quickness about the Premier League that he’s going to have to adjust to. There were a couple of times he was looking for those cheap fouls, but the threshold from the referees is a little bit higher.
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“But again, the athleticism, the pace… there’s a player in there right now who has the tools to adapt to the Premier League, from what I have seen so far. But I think it’s fair to say he didn’t quite grasp where he was meant to be positionally.”
Cundy also suggested Xabi Alonso may need to reconsider his tactical approach to get the best out of Palestra. Having previously excelled as a wing-back in a back three, the Italian may find it more difficult to adapt to playing as a conventional full-back.
“When he first arrived, I did some homework on him,” Cundy added. “He’s an out-and-out wing-back. That tells me we were looking to go with a three… and that’s how [Alonso] started.
“So, Palestra might find himself in a bit of a position where he will have to play either as full-back or a slightly different role as a full-back. Maybe we could become a little bit lopsided; we’ve seen that in the past, where you particularly go down one side. That might be a tactical change Xabi makes.”
Cundy also discussed whether Palestra should keep his place, suggesting Alonso could bring Pep Chavarria back into the starting XI against Sunderland. Chavarria replaced Palestra towards the end of the Man Utd game and is a more solid defensive option.
The 56-year-old explained: “If everyone is fit, I’m playing that exact same XI again. Maybe Chavarria comes in. That would be the one thing I potentially would do if he is fit