Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Chelsea FC and Manchester United
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Chelsea wonderkid torn apart after ‘awful’ Crystal Palace display, ‘Worst defender I’ve seen’
Adam Daghim of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim is challenged by Honest Ahanor of Crystal Palace during the UEFA Europa League 2026/27 League Phase MD4 match between Crystal Palace FC and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
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Chelsea prospect Honest Ahanor slammed after Crystal Palace nightmare
Honest Ahanor started in Crystal Palace’s 1-1 Europa League draw with Hoffenheim on Thursday night. He slid in to intercept a pass but missed the ball, allowing Hoffenheim to launch a counter-attack and score in the seventh minute.
Ahanor was then almost at fault for another goal after attempting a drag-back inside Palace’s penalty area and losing possession. His centre-back partner, Jaydee Canvot, was forced into a sliding challenge to deny a close-range shot on target.
Palace boss Pierre Sage substituted the Italian international in the 75th minute, and the Eagles went on to secure a 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park. Despite snatching a point in injury time, Palace fans were not impressed with their team’s performance, particularly Ahanor’s.
One Palace supporter tweeted: “This might be one of the worst individual performances I’ve seen at Palace from Ahanor.” Another went a step further: “This guy is one of the worst centre backs I’ve ever seen.”
Meanwhile, several Palace fans expressed their disbelief at Ahanor’s £40m transfer fee. One wrote: “Honest Ahanor could be the worst defender I’ve ever seen play football. Chelsea have been robbed blind for £40m.”
This might be one of the worst individual performances i’ve seen at palace from Ahanor since Schlupp cameo appearance off the bench at villa park in the carabao cup.
— riley (@rileycpfc_) November 5, 2026
A fourth commented: “Good luck to Chelsea spending 40 million on this Honest Ahanor. Debut was good but since then he has been awful.” Another posted: “How is he worth 40 million pounds when he can’t even make a simple pass?”
One Eagles supporter then highlighted Chelsea’s poor record of centre-back signings, referencing both Ahanor and Axel Disasi, who joined Palace from Chelsea on a permanent deal this summer. “They don’t exactly have a great record at CB, do they? We’ve ended up with 2 of their donkeys in our team,” they said.
Xabi Alonso shares Chelsea injury update on Moises Caicedo and Joao Pedro before Sunderland game
James Shearman
Joao Pedro of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team's first goal with teammate Moises Caicedo during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Fulham at Stamford Bridge
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Xabi Alonso has delivered an update on Chelsea’s injury situation ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Sunderland, the final fixture before the November international break. The Blues were without several key players for last weekend’s game against Manchester United.
Joao Pedro, Emiliano Martinez and Jorrel Hato all missed the Man Utd match with minor injuries, and Chelsea fans will be keen to know whether they will be available against Sunderland. Meanwhile, Alonso also discussed Moises Caicedo’s fitness after he limped off last Saturday and missed training earlier this week.
READ MORE:Graham Potter hands top Chelsea prospect first international call-up as England and Ghana doors shut
Xabi Alonso provides injury update before Sunderland vs Chelsea
Xabi Alonso first explained that Emiliano Martinez is in contention to replace Mike Penders in goal against Sunderland. Martinez has missed the last few games after suffering a broken jaw in the 2-0 win against Everton.
“Tomorrow, we have our last training session for Sunday and we will decide but he’s training well,” Alonso said. “It’s very good that Emi has made a great effort to be back. He’s been ahead of the plan to be part of the team. We will check tomorrow and make the final decision on Sunday.”
Cole Palmer and three other Chelsea stars snubbed! What do you make of Thomas Tuchel's England squad? 🤔 Morgan Rogers does makes the squad, though.
Obviously better for Chelsea but I think Palmer is really deserving of a place, seems harsh!
Tuchell is an idiot. He should had been fired after losing to Argentina in the World Cup. He snubbed Palmer for the World Cup. Then he wanted Palmer to play in the UEFA Nation League, but Palmer decided not play because of nagging injuries. And now, Tuchell leaves him out to get back at Palmer. He's better not playing for England until Tuchell is gone
It is good news for us I guess! Acheampong is still going away with U21s though. Wish it was the 1st team
Alonso also revealed that Moises Caicedo is not dealing with a calf injury, as some had speculated after the Man Utd game. However, the Ecuador international is struggling with “discomfort”, and no decision has been made on his availability this weekend.
The Chelsea boss added: “Well, he had a little problem after the last game, so we expect to check if it’s a different situation tomorrow.” It’s more of a discomfort than a calf [injury].”
Joao Pedro and Maxence Lacroix are set to remain sidelined until at least after the international break. Neither player has been called up by their respective national teams.
“No, there’s not really an update,” Alonso said about Pedro and Lacroix. “For sure, we are not expecting them [to train] tomorrow. That’s clear. After the two-week international break, let’s see how they recover and the progress they make. Ahead of the Leeds game, I will have more updates, but not today.”
Many expected Jorrel Hato to return against Sunderland after Alonso suggested in his last press conference that he only had a minor back issue. However, the left-back has been ruled out until after the international break, and potentially longer.
Alonso continued: “No, he’s not fit yet. He will take some more weeks. Maybe after the international break, but it’s going to take longer.”
Finally, the Spanish manager shared some positive news on Aaron Anselmino. The centre-back has been training for over a week and is ready to play for Argentina in their upcoming friendlies against Uruguay and Costa Rica.
“Anselmino has been called up by Argentina,” Alonso responded, without saying whether he would play against Sunderland. “They asked us and he’s been training better for the last 10 days. It’s very important for him to get his call-up.”