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Chelsea projected lineup 2026-27: How will Xabi Alonso use Morgan Rogers, bloated Blues squad? originally appeared on The Sporting News .
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Chelsea are hoping to see themselves rise back up the Premier League table as they look towards getting started on the 2026/27 season.
The Blues finished 10th last season, a dismal result that left them without any European football this season for new manager Xabi Alonso to navigate.
It will be a season for Chelsea to test their young talent against the rest of the English top flight, as last season's youngest squad by average age continues to push forward with a horde of youthful players.
The Sporting News looks at the Chelsea squad, how it shakes out after another summer of wheeling and dealing in the transfer market, and where each player is set to contribute toward the goal of returning to European football.
MORE: Chelsea preseason schedule ahead of 2026/27 season
Chelsea projected lineup 2026-27
Chelsea projected starting lineup (3-4-3, right to left): R. Sanchez (GK) — W. Fofana, L. Colwill, M. Lacroix — M. Gusto, M. Caicedo, E. Fernandez, J. Hato — C. Palmer, M. Rogers — J. Pedro.
Chelsea second XI (4-3-3, right to left): M. Penders (GK) — R. James, M. Sarr, B. Badiashile, P. Chavarria — R. Lavia, V. Barco — P. Neto, Estevao, M. Mudryk — N. Jackson.
Other squad players: G. Slonina (GK), T. Adarabioyo, A. Disasi, A. Anselmino, M. Palestra, C. Wiley, Denner, J. Acheampong, D. Essugo, J. Henderson, J. Gittens, G. Quenda, D. Satpaev, L. Delap, D. Welbeck, M. Guiu, D. Fofana.
Chelsea have, by a wide margin, the most bloated squad the Premier League has ever seen. It's likely that a number of these players are either sold or loaned out to make room, but even still, Xabi Alonso is going to have a job on his hands getting everyone enough minutes, especially without European football this coming season.
Especially when it comes to defenders, there is quite simply an unmanageable number of players on the roster, and some will just simply find themselves on the outside looking in.
There's also an inordinate amount of strikers, with Joao Pedro the incumbent and Nicolas Jackson returning from his Bayern Munich loan. Add in Liam Delap, Marc Guiu, David Datro Fofana, and new signing Danny Welbeck, and how does this work, exactly?
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Xabi Alonso tactics, style of play
While the squad on the whole will be a nightmare to manage, to Chelsea's credit, the top-end players in this team fit Xabi Alonso's brand of tactics quite nicely.
It's likely that Alonso returns to the 3-4-2-1 that he used so effectively while at Bayer Leverkusen which toppled the power structure in the Bundesliga. It allows the use of both Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer in positions that fit their talent and skill, while also retaining width and allowing Enzo Fernandez to contribute as a No. 8. The setup leaves the midfield extremely thin, but if anyone is capable of covering the significant ground necessary behind Enzo, Moises Caicedo is that talented.
It will still be interesting to see how Alonso differentiates the roles given to Rogers and Palmer in dual No. 10's. Who will be the Florian Wirtz free-flowing attacking player (probably Palmer) and who will be the Jonas Hoffman structured progressive passer (probably Rogers)?
Chelsea also have the wealth of centre-backs to make this work, and the collection of wing-backs to add width on the flanks. This is a good tactical fit for the Blues.
Pos Player Club Fee RW Morgan Rogers Aston Villa €138 million CB Maxence Lacroix Crystal Palace €60.7 million RB Marco Palestra Atalanta €57 million RW Georgia Quenda Sporting CP €50 million CM Valentin Barco Strasbourg €40 million CF Emmanuel Emegha Strasbourg €25 million LB Pep Chavarria Rayo Vallecano €19 million LB Denner Corinthians €10 million CF Danny Welbeck Brighton €5.85 million CM Jordan Henderson Brentford Free transfer Outgoing departures
Pos Player Club Fee CM Andrey Santos Manchester United €56.3 million LB Marc Cucurella Real Madrid €55 million CB Trevoh Chalobah Como €30 million LW Tyrique George Everton €21 million LW Alejandro Garnacho Aston Villa Loan GK Filip Jorgensen Strasbourg Loan Chelsea strengths and weaknesses for 2026-27 season
Strength: Individual talent
For all this team's flaws (and there are many), there's some serious talent in this Chelsea squad as well. It obviously starts with Cole Palmer, who is hopefully now fit after the summer off after missing the World Cup. The Blues undeniably overpaid for Morgan Rogers, but he is clearly a very, very talented player who makes them better.
Joao Pedro is still fine-tuning his game at 24 years old, but is a very dangerous player up front, while Enzo Fernandez is a bully in the middle of the pitch and capable of changing games with his deadly passing. Moises Caicedo is one of the best No. 6's in the Premier League, even after a slightly down year by his standards.
Add in a brilliant tactician at the helm in Xabi Alonso, and the only thing stopping this team from performing is itself. If anything will doom this Blues team, tit's going to be either locker room clashes or inconsistent play. Their ceiling is quite high.
Weakness: Youth, turnover
Last season's youngest team in the Premier League hardly got much older, even if the acquisitions of Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck were meant to increase the veteran profile of the Chelsea squad.
In actuality, it's hard to see how those two signings have any tangible effect. Henderson and Welbeck are going to struggle for minutes on the field, as both have plenty of players in front of them on the depth chart. If they're not on the field at all, how can they meaningfully impact the youthful nature of the team? They can only have so much of an effect in the d...
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