Alonso shuts down the Palmer to Man Utd talk
Cole Palmer was never leaving. Xabi Alonso said it straight ahead of Manchester United's visit to Stamford Bridge: "There were no talks about [him leaving] and he was always part of the plans" (1). Palmer stays central to what Alonso is building.
With Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, 13:30 CET, that matters. Alonso also put a challenge on Palmer's plate: deliver in the big games, not just the comfortable ones (1).
Lacroix out for around ten games
Maxence Lacroix is expected to miss roughly ten matches with a serious hamstring injury picked up against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup (2). He could be out until 2027.
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That leaves Alonso with a three-man defence short of bodies. Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, Josh Acheampong and Jeremy Jacquet are the names in the frame to fill it (2). Your team was already thin back there.
Mainoo back for them, five out
Kobbie Mainoo has travelled with the Manchester United squad to London and is set to start (5). United are without Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, Manuel Ugarte, Patrick Dorgu and Benjamin Sesko. Michael Carrick on Sesko: "Yeah, unfortunately Ben looks like he's going to be out for a period of time" (5).
Chelsea 0–2 Tottenham at home on 24 October is the last thing you saw in the league. Fifth on 13 points from eight games, and a win here would settle a lot.
Chelsea lead the race for Alex Scott
Chelsea are frontrunners for Bournemouth's Alex Scott, valued at over £100m (3). The pitch to him is a big role alongside Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers under Alonso. Liverpool are looking at alternatives.
Midfield reinforcement makes sense after Enzo Fernández's sale, and January is the window (3). More than £100m for a Bournemouth midfielder is a number that will get argued about.
Man Utd join the Fermin Lopez fight
Manchester United are ready to rival Chelsea for Barcelona's Fermin Lopez at around £70m (4). Paris Saint-Germain are in it too.
United's summer business already went after Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko and Bruno Fernandes. The same clubs keep turning up at the same door.
Dortmund join the chase for Zinhagel
Borussia Dortmund are now tracking Feyenoord's Jivayno Zinhagel, alongside Chelsea, Liverpool, Leeds United and Bournemouth (6). No fee, no bid, just a name climbing the list.
Fan reactions
The mood on r/chelseafc is split between belief and pressure. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink calling this the Premier League's most talented squad comes with the demand that it has to make the Champions League, and plenty of fans agree the talent is there while the results are not. Others are leaning on the past before United arrive, digging out Drogba and Lampard combining against Manchester United for a bit of comfort.
