The Hard Tackle lists five players who can turn things around at Chelsea when Xabi Alonso takes over as the new manager next season.
Chelsea’s next chapter under Xabi Alonso is poised to be written in a way their supporters have long hoped for: with continuity, identity, and a clear footballing philosophy at its core. After years of a managerial carousel that saw one short‑term project replace another, the Blues have finally hired a coach whose name promises more than a quick fix. The confirmation that Xabi Alonso will take over at Stamford Bridge from July 2026 is not just a change of personnel; it feels like the beginning of a proper era.
Over the past few seasons, Chelsea’s dugout has become something of a revolving door. Enzo Maresca arrived in summer 2024 with tactical credibility but never had the time or stable environment required to truly implement his ideas, and by the turn of the year the club had already parted ways with him.
His replacement, Liam Rosenior, was also given a narrow runway and quickly lost his job amid a string of defeats, pushing Calum McFarlane back into an interim role to shepherd the team through the rest of the 2025/26 campaign. Through all of this, the players were left adjusting to new systems, fresh pressing triggers, and different positional expectations, with little chance to build genuine cohesion.
The appointment of Xabi Alonso represents a sharp departure from that pattern. The Spaniard arrives with a glowing CV built on a spell at Bayer Leverkusen that, despite lasting only six months at Real Madrid, left a strong impression for the way he blended positional discipline with attacking freedom.
Chelsea are said to have beaten several heavyweight rivals, including Liverpool, to secure his signature, which underlines the scale of the statement they are trying to make. For a fanbase that has grown weary of stop‑gap solutions, Alonso’s arrival offers a sense of continuity, a clear vision for how the team should play, and, most importantly, the time to implement it.
With that stability now in place, the focus naturally shifts to the players who can thrive under his system, and to the ones who most need a fresh start. Cole Palmer, Mike Penders, Estevao Willian, Andrey Santos, and Kendry Paez are all name‑plated for significant roles in the coming seasons, each carrying a different kind of baggage and a different set of expectations. What they share is the opportunity to become central figures under a manager who favours structured build‑up, intelligent movement, and technically minded performers.
Cole Palmer: Reclaiming his best form
Cole Palmer’s arrival at Chelsea felt transformative after his debut season, as he quickly established himself as the club’s most creative and direct threat, rattling in goals and assists for fun and becoming the focal point of the attack. Measured by his early statistics, he looked like the kind of modern wide forward who could single‑handedly carry a team’s attacking output, capable of both scoring and manufacturing moments of quality out of tight spaces.
Since then, the numbers have dipped. Palmer recorded 36 Premier League goals and 17 assists in his first 54 appearances, with penalties accounting for a third of his tallies. In the period that has followed, his league output has slowed to nine goals and one assist in 24 Premier League games, with more than two‑thirds of those goals coming from the spot.
Underneath the drop‑off, the truth is that the managerial merry‑go‑round and the constant tactical tweaks have left Palmer searching for a stable role, robbing him of the rhythm and confidence that characterised his brightest phase. Under Xabi Alonso, there is a clear pathway back to that level.
The Spaniard has shown a preference for technically gifted creators who can operate in the half‑spaces, link play, and switch between dropping deep or stretching the defence. Palmer fits that profile almost perfectly, with the dribbling, vision and set‑piece ability to plug into a structured, possession‑based system. Alonso’s likely emphasis on organised build‑up and compact passing patterns should give Palmer more predictable reference points and allow him to play with his head up instead of against a constantly shifting tactical backdrop.
There is also a competitive urgency to securing Palmer long term. Recent reports suggest Manchester United and Barcelona have begun to line him up as a priority target, viewing him as a long‑term heir to their attacking identities and a player who can adapt to multiple systems. So, for Chelsea, the attraction of playing under a tactically astute manager like Alonso should help them secure Palmer’s long-term future.
Mike Penders: From loanee to first‑choice keeper?
Chelsea’s goalkeeping situation has been defined by constant experimentation, with the club rotating between established names and promising young stoppers. Into this turbulence steps Mike Penders, a goalkeeper whose season has been spent away from Stamford Bridge on loan but who is increasingly seen as a key part of the club’s plans.
While other clubs have been scouting his potential, the Blues have made it clear that they do not view him as a short‑term option for someone else’s cup run or half‑season project. That stance reflects a belief that he is ready to move into the senior picture, not someone to be farmed out while the club searches for a stop‑gap solution. For a young stopper, that kind of commitment from the top is a rare signal that the club views him as a long‑term candidate, not just a backup.
Xabi Alonso’s arrival amplifies that sense of opportunity. The Spaniard has consistently favoured goalkeepers who are comfortable with the ball at their feet, capable of reading the game early and starting build‑up from the back.
Penders’s profile suggests he can fit that mould, and with Chelsea’s new emphasis on a coherent, possession‑oriented style, the No. 1 shirt could well become a platform for his own growth rather than a role he is constantly chasing. Instead of yet another loan to another league, next season could finally be the moment Penders steps into the first‑team frame at Chelsea as a proper contender for the starting spot.
Estevao Willian: Ready for a bigger stage
Estevao Willian’s move to Chelsea was always framed as a long‑term investment in a teenager with rare flair and creativity. Signed from Palmeiras with a deal that saw him formally join the club in 2025, the Brazilian winger was immediately touted as a player who could inject dynamism into the wide areas. His debut season at Stamford Bridge has been encouraging, not least because he has shown the kind of technical fearlessness and spark that can cut through rigid defensive blocks.
Yet, for all his flashes of quality, Estevao has not been given the kind of consistent minutes that would allow him to fully imprint himself on the team. There have been starts and cameos, but not the sustained run that a young attacker needs to grow into a regular first‑team option. With Chelsea now moving towards a clearer, more stable system under Xabi Alonso, the next campaign looks like the perfect opportunity to change that pattern and give him a proper platform.
Alonso’s style is built on overloads in wide areas, intelligent positional rotation, and wide players who can both cut inside and stay wide to stretch the pitch. Estevao’s profile fits that description neatly: he is comfortable in one‑on‑one duels, possesses a wand of a left foot, and can drift between the half‑space and the flank without losing his identity. Under a manager who demands structure yet rewards creativity, he could evolve from a promising talent into a core attacking option.
There is also a broader market context that underlines his importance. Reports in recent months have linked Estevao with interest from Barcelona, Liverpool, and Paris Saint‑Germain, all of whom see him as a long‑term asset with immense resale value. If Chelsea can give him the minutes and the tactical framework to flourish under Alonso, they may not only secure a key piece of their own future but also discourage rival suitors by demonstrating genuine belief in his role at the club.
Andrey Santos: Fighting for his Chelsea place
Andrey Santos arrived at Chelsea with the promise of a midfielder who could do a bit of everything: press, pass, carry the ball and even chip in with goals. The early indications were that he had the athleticism and technical base to fit into a demanding Premier League midfield, but his integration has been patchy at best, as the youngster had to embark on several loan spells before finally staying at Stamford Bridge this term.
Managerial changes and shifting tactical priorities have left him drifting between the fringes and the stands, with his potential never quite crystallising into a clear first‑team pathway. Off the pitch, his future has attracted speculation.
A summer offer from Saudi Arabia for a club in the Pro League was reported to have reached Chelsea, but Santos publicly turned it down, stating that his dream remains to succeed in Europe and stake a claim for the Brazilian national team. That kind of ambition sits awkwardly with a situation where he is not regularly starting matches, and it explains why stories about his possible departure have continued to surface.
Under Xabi Alonso, Santos could be the kind of hybrid midfielder who benefits most from a stable system. The Spaniard values box‑to‑box players who can cover ground, intercept passes, and support the build‑up without losing positional discipline.
Santos’s energy, passing range and willingness to arrive late in the box align with those requirements, and a manager who can give him defined responsibilities could be exactly what he needs to finally start living up to his billing. If that happens, Chelsea could avoid the irony of a talented midfielder leaving for a rival or a foreign league simply because he was never given a real, sustained chance.
Kendry Paez: The long‑awaited Chelsea debut
Kendry Paez’s story at Chelsea is one of patience more than progress. Signed from Independiente del Valle in 2023 and formally joining the club in 2025 once he turned 18, Paez was long‑touted as a teenager with the vision and composure to lead a midfield. His early career in Ecuador suggested a player who could dictate tempo, find diagonal passes, and orchestrate attacks from deep, skills that translate well into the kind of football Xabi Alonso favours.
This season has again been a year of waiting. Paez spent the first half on loan at RC Strasbourg, a BlueCo‑owned club that often serves as a technical finishing school for Chelsea’s young talents. He is currently on loan to River Plate in Argentina, another move that offers experience but not the kind of high‑profile Premier League exposure that Chelsea fans expected when he was first announced.
While the Blues clearly value his development, the cumulative effect is that he has not properly exploded onto the Stamford Bridge stage. Alonso’s arrival could be the trigger that finally brings him into the first‑team conversation. If the manager is serious about building a flexible, technically sound midfield, Paez’s profile as a natural playmaker who can sit deeper or push forward becomes highly relevant.
Instead of endlessly shuffling between affiliate clubs and foreign leagues, he could be integrated into a setup where his ability to control the rhythm of the game is not just admired in highlights but deployed in competitive matches week after week. For Chelsea, the next season is less about a handful of marquee signings and more about restoring structure, identity, and a clear vision for the kind of players they want to build around.
Cole Palmer, Mike Penders, Estevao Willian, Andrey Santos and Kendry Paez all represent different facets of that project. Each needs a fresh start and capable of flourishing under a manager who finally offers the kind of continuity Stamford Bridge has been missing for years.
