⚽ Premier League 2025/2026 Discussion Thread ⚽

[Chilwell]

Losing Cucurella is not a good start for Xabi Alonso. Their LB options aren't great now. There is Hato who is still very young. He can't be trusted in the starting lineup most of the time.

There is a player named Wiley as another option who is much worse.    In short, I hope Xabi Alonso makes a good signing for the position. He missed the opportunity of signing Grimaldo...

Chelsea and Xabi aren’t too concerned about losing Cucurella because Chelsea already has a replacement in Denner as the left-back. Chelsea signed Denner first, which is why they were willing to let Cucurella go. Moreover, Denner is a promising young player who had a great season with Corinthians.

I don't know why we keep on mentioning Cucurella as if there are no player better than him who have left Chelsea and Chelsea did not fall, this is the reality of life, Cucurella will it be missed but i'm confident that the management will find is replacement and I believe that there will get one who can fill that gap. Xavi Alonso is an experience manager who I believe that he will definitely find a better and suitable replacement for Cucurella.

Chelsea is in total mess now and xavi Alonso have a lot of work to do because right now they finish the season in 10th place and it's a very bad achievement for a team like Chelsea after spending so much. I believe that you will tell them closer to the top but to be among the title contender, it have to be so challenging but let see how it goes.

[Italian Panic]

Chelsea is in total mess now and xavi Alonso have a lot of work to do because right now they finish the season in 10th place and it's a very bad achievement for a team like Chelsea after spending so much. I believe that you will tell them closer to the top but to be among the title contender, it have to be so challenging but let see how it goes.

I think it’s hard for a team like Chelsea to do any worse, but what does the board expect from Xabi Alonso? That he’ll win the Premier League in his first year? If so, he’ll be sacked by Christmas. Do they expect him to qualify for the Champions League straight away? That might be feasible if England obtain the fifth slot in the Champions League. If we consider that the race for Champions League places in England is incredibly tight: Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool are sure to secure their spots, whilst the others in contention are: Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham, Aston Villa and a few underdogs who will emerge over the course of the season.

[Solodoski]

The transfer window is dull at the moment. Perhaps the ongoing world cup is the cause of it all. I am eager to see how big clubs will do business this season. Chelsea is one of the club I have so much interest in. Xabi Alonso have so much on his shoulder to do. I think the pressure will be less worse if the club back him financially. Surprisingly Xabi Alsonso is going for strong and matured players.

[Sarah Azhari]

Chelsea and Xabi aren’t too concerned about losing Cucurella because Chelsea already has a replacement in Denner as the left-back. Chelsea signed Denner first, which is why they were willing to let Cucurella go. Moreover, Denner is a promising young player who had a great season with Corinthians.

Really? Do you believe a 18-year-old LB gives them more confidence now? He is a very young defender. He needs time to improve and probably it will take him at least a few years!

Cucurella was a ready player. I don't believe Xabi Alonso will be satisfied with only this signing for the position. He would like to have a more experienced LB for his starting lineup choice.

If Xabi can bring out the best in Denner, then I believe Denner will be able to shine. It’s true that Denner is still only 18 years old, but to me, that age isn’t a barrier to becoming the best player in his position. In fact, there are many examples of players his age who have performed even better. Denner is a long-term investment for Chelsea, and of course he has plenty of time to develop.

Cucurella is indeed a good and experienced player, but it all comes down to the system Xabi implements. Sometimes there are good players on the team who simply don’t fit the new coach’s tactical system. Perhaps that’s what happened with Cucurella. Maybe he didn’t fit Xabi’s tactical system, which is why Xabi didn’t stand in his way when he left.

[Felicity_Tide]

The transfer window is dull at the moment. Perhaps the ongoing world cup is the cause of it all. I am eager to see how big clubs will do business this season. Chelsea is one of the club I have so much interest in. Xabi Alonso have so much on his shoulder to do. I think the pressure will be less worse if the club back him financially. Surprisingly Xabi Alsonso is going for strong and matured players.

I think this current boredom in the transfer market goes a bit beyond the ongoing FIFA world cup.
Haven't you noticed the current price of players lately?, they are way to ridiculous. Imagine players with just one season performance, and with no major title to their names, being valued for £100M or even more. It's really killing the transfer market tbh. It has been happening for sometime now, but this very season is even far worse. I think clubs needs to start investing a lot in their scouting programmes, so that they can secure players with potentials at a very young age. If they fail to start doing this, then all clubs will join the overpricing party.

[Oluwa-btc]

Losing Cucurella is not a good start for Xabi Alonso. Their LB options aren't great now. There is Hato who is still very young. He can't be trusted in the starting lineup most of the time.

There is a player named Wiley as another option who is much worse.    In short, I hope Xabi Alonso makes a good signing for the position. He missed the opportunity of signing Grimaldo...

Are we still going back and forth for Cucurella? I mean this is already a Real Madrid player thinking about winning the Champions League competition already with Real Madrid and we're on here moaning about him?! Hato to me is not a natural left full back but more of a central defender. I believe Xabi Alonso will get backing signing a new defender.
There's a speculations being linked with a player from Rayo Vallecano a left back actually.  I can not vouch for him because, I don't know him too well. Grimaldo wouldn't have move to Chelsea. The move to ATM was proper.

[9ja Amaka]

Chelsea is in total mess now and xavi Alonso have a lot of work to do because right now they finish the season in 10th place and it's a very bad achievement for a team like Chelsea after spending so much. I believe that you will tell them closer to the top but to be among the title contender, it have to be so challenging but let see how it goes.

Chelsea is in a very bad situation right now and it's really going to take a lot of work from Xabi Alonso to bring them back to where they used to be. I think Chelsea's problem is more from the board rather from the team, but I hope they have realized their mistakes and hopefully they can start fixing it this season. The signing of Xabi Alonso is a good start for them and I think they are also trying to sell players that are not ready to play for the team, which I also think it's a good thing. I believe that if the board allows Alonso to sign the players he wants, then there should be in improve in the upcoming season,  but I don't think they can win the premier league next season.

[LUCKMCFLY]

Both players can fit into Real Madrid style of playing, I don't see how both players can't fit into the team play, Rodri is a DMF and Enzo plays similarly like a DMF, while Modric is a creative CMF, there is role either Enzo or Rodri will play for Real Madrid, i think they both will be good addition to the club, or either anyone of them who will be joining the team.

I don't know how to explain it to you, but their style isn't a good fit for Madrid's. They're players with more intelligence, more vision. Just think about the style of Kroos or Modric; they're players with superior intelligence when they're playing, they're very skillful, and that's not easy to find. I'd say a player like Vitinha would adapt because he has that style; he creates plays, he plays as a false 9—I mean, those are unique characteristics.

[hyudien]

Chelsea is in a very bad situation right now and it's really going to take a lot of work from Xabi Alonso to bring them back to where they used to be. I think Chelsea's problem is more from the board rather from the team, but I hope they have realized their mistakes and hopefully they can start fixing it this season. The signing of Xabi Alonso is a good start for them and I think they are also trying to sell players that are not ready to play for the team, which I also think it's a good thing. I believe that if the board allows Alonso to sign the players he wants, then there should be in improve in the upcoming season,  but I don't think they can win the premier league next season.

When Maresca became the coach, the project they built seemed clear and quite successful (it was just a matter of time) but after there was tension with Maresca, they became a team that did not know the direction, the peak when Maresca decided to leave Chelsea became chaotic. Now with the arrival of Xabi, we can not hope further, meaning to be a title contender, because with the current situation it takes time for Xabi to build a solid team, but there is hope because I believe enough in Xabi Alonso's ability, he can rebuild Chelsea into a strong team.

[Nightwatchmare]

Losing Cucurella is not a good start for Xabi Alonso. Their LB options aren't great now. There is Hato who is still very young. He can't be trusted in the starting lineup most of the time.

There is a player named Wiley as another option who is much worse.    In short, I hope Xabi Alonso makes a good signing for the position. He missed the opportunity of signing Grimaldo...

Chelsea and Xabi aren’t too concerned about losing Cucurella because Chelsea already has a replacement in Denner as the left-back. Chelsea signed Denner first, which is why they were willing to let Cucurella go. Moreover, Denner is a promising young player who had a great season with Corinthians.

I don't know why we keep on mentioning Cucurella as if there are no player better than him who have left Chelsea and Chelsea did not fall, this is the reality of life, Cucurella will it be missed but i'm confident that the management will find is replacement and I believe that there will get one who can fill that gap. Xavi Alonso is an experience manager who I believe that he will definitely find a better and suitable replacement for Cucurella.

Chelsea is in total mess now and xavi Alonso have a lot of work to do because right now they finish the season in 10th place and it's a very bad achievement for a team like Chelsea after spending so much. I believe that you will tell them closer to the top but to be among the title contender, it have to be so challenging but let see how it goes.

Cucurella is a good defender, but Chelsea have had left backs that are good than Cucurella and they still allowed them to leave and they still perform well and win trophies. The loss of Cucurella will not affect Chelsea's performance in any way because there are plenty of good left backs in the market Chelsea can buy and fill the space of Cucurella, and Cucurella will not be missed. Chelsea is in total mess as you can see right now, so we should not expect much from Chelsea as we do not know if Xabi Alonso could better Chelsea's performance.

[Nheer]

The transfer window is dull at the moment. Perhaps the ongoing world cup is the cause of it all. I am eager to see how big clubs will do business this season. Chelsea is one of the club I have so much interest in. Xabi Alonso have so much on his shoulder to do. I think the pressure will be less worse if the club back him financially. Surprisingly Xabi Alsonso is going for strong and matured players.

The World Cup has the attention of everyone now that's why not much is happening in the transfer window yet. I believe every team is focused on the World Cup first but will get back to making the appropriate transfers as soon as the World Cup is over.
Chelsea is definitely a team many fans are interested in especially since they signed Xabi Alonso as the coach. I don't doubt Alonso and i think the club is ready to back him financially so they don't repeat what happened with Maresca. It's only right to go for matured players since the young players experiment has failed.

Chelsea is in total mess now and xavi Alonso have a lot of work to do because right now they finish the season in 10th place and it's a very bad achievement for a team like Chelsea after spending so much. I believe that you will tell them closer to the top but to be among the title contender, it have to be so challenging but let see how it goes.

The team is only lacking a good coach and a few experienced players else they have enough quality to challenge properly. It was different when Maresca was in charge so I believe with Xabi Alonso things can get better.

[alankasman]

Cucurella is a good defender, but Chelsea have had left backs that are good than Cucurella and they still allowed them to leave and they still perform well and win trophies. The loss of Cucurella will not affect Chelsea's performance in any way because there are plenty of good left backs in the market Chelsea can buy and fill the space of Cucurella, and Cucurella will not be missed. Chelsea is in total mess as you can see right now, so we should not expect much from Chelsea as we do not know if Xabi Alonso could better Chelsea's performance.

And the player you are referring to is Ashley Cole who is one of Chelsea's defenders who has no replacement during his professional career. This means that they currently have the best left-back and the defender is currently being targeted by Real Madrid making the player seem a little hesitant to decide his future especially since the team he is targeting is one that has a good history in all competitions. So for me it is natural for Chelsea to make a decision on this player because if he is loyal and still wants to give his best for Chelsea I think he will not leave the team that will be handled by Xabi Alonso next season.

If it happens I think Chelsea will have another player in the same position as Cucurella meaning that every player who is chosen every season will leave the club will definitely prepare to anticipate the position left by the player because Alonso's alertness will be tested by Cucurella's departure but this is a common thing that happens in the transfer market every season but I think Cucurella's choice is also right because he is returning to his hometown to defend the team in his hometown because now he already has a lot of experience so it won't take long to find his best performance with the new team he will defend starting next season.

[tygeade]

Xabi is the type of manager that doesn't utilize players to their max because of how he plays them, it is not emotional, it is not that he asks for the best. He is the type of manager that will utilize their max by putting them in the right position at the right moment and make them do what they do best.

So if a player does X very well, he is not like other coaches that asks them to do Y or Z, he will ask exactly X from that player and that player will do it great because that's what they do, no need to even talk to them, no need to have a chat, give the player to a shine and they will shine. Xabi will make sure Chelsea looks a lot better, not sure if results will show, but eye test will be amazing, they will "look" great without a doubt.

[ITExpert]

Yes, Xabi Alonso has a lot of work to do but we can see that they are willing to sell one of their centre backs, Trevoh Chalobah, to the Italian club. You can see that although they have a few good players in their club, some players have already left the club which has reduced the quality of their squad even more, Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez were very valuable to Chelsea so I think if these players were able to play under Xabi Alonso in the upcoming season then maybe Chelsea would have become unstoppable in the upcoming season but it seems that those players are now joining other clubs, so this manager will have to take the responsibility of building a good team in the upcoming season.

I think the more pressure is built on xabi Alonso to make the team performance better and affective so that they can get a strong position. And to make the team strong and perform better he needs to sign more quality  players and there is no signings has been happened by Xabi Alonso  yet. Cucurella is one of the most important player of the and there is still not clear understanding that why they sold him although the tram needs to improve and perform strongly. And i think if there will be not strong players the improvements will not come in the team because without having the talented players the coach cannot do anything. So, i think xabi  Alonso should add some more talented faces to the team so he can get success  to make the team stand in top clubs otherwise it will be difficult or it not seems happening

[dezoel]

The transfer window is dull at the moment. Perhaps the ongoing world cup is the cause of it all. I am eager to see how big clubs will do business this season. Chelsea is one of the club I have so much interest in. Xabi Alonso have so much on his shoulder to do. I think the pressure will be less worse if the club back him financially. Surprisingly Xabi Alsonso is going for strong and matured players.

I think this current boredom in the transfer market goes a bit beyond the ongoing FIFA world cup.
Haven't you noticed the current price of players lately?, they are way to ridiculous. Imagine players with just one season performance, and with no major title to their names, being valued for £100M or even more. It's really killing the transfer market tbh. It has been happening for sometime now, but this very season is even far worse. I think clubs needs to start investing a lot in their scouting programmes, so that they can secure players with potentials at a very young age. If they fail to start doing this, then all clubs will join the overpricing party.

World cup is the reason why the transfer window is not active like it used to. Everyone is watching the world cup and waiting for it. The buyers are not sure who they want to buy and wants to watch how their players are doing at world cup so they could offer something, if the player does well they will offer more, and if the player does bad maybe they will offer less or not even buy a player.

And sellers are the same, if their players end p playing great then they will ask for more, and if they play badly then they will ask for less or not even sell.

[Sarah Azhari]

Chelsea is in total mess now and xavi Alonso have a lot of work to do because right now they finish the season in 10th place and it's a very bad achievement for a team like Chelsea after spending so much. I believe that you will tell them closer to the top but to be among the title contender, it have to be so challenging but let see how it goes.

The team is only lacking a good coach and a few experienced players else they have enough quality to challenge properly. It was different when Maresca was in charge so I believe with Xabi Alonso things can get better.

Exactly. The current Chelsea squad actually has the quality to compete for a top-four finish and even the Premier League title. It’s just that Chelsea hasn’t had a good coach in recent seasons, which has made it difficult for them to compete for a top-four spot. Now, under Xabi’s guidance, I believe Chelsea will once again be able to compete and return to the position they deserve.