Six Chelsea Stars Fighting to Prove Their Worth This Preseason

This summer marks the fifth new chapter of BlueCo's four-year ownership of Chelsea, with incoming manager Xabi Alonso now at the helm.

The stakes are especially high on this occasion, as supporter discontent combined with dismal results on the pitch created a deeply troubled end to the 2025–26 season — one only partially redeemed by the announcement of Alonso's appointment.

The new head coach faces several major decisions ahead of the new campaign, and here are six players who have the most to prove.

Wesley Fofana

Chelsea supporters have had an up-and-down relationship with Wesley Fofana — and right now, things are firmly on the decline.

Two red cards in the final three months of the season, including one on the last day of the campaign in a loss to Sunderland, turned a significant portion of the fanbase against him. Tactically, his place in Alonso's starting eleven is far from certain, particularly with the club bringing in Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace.

Fofana does at least have an early opportunity to make an impression on Alonso this summer. A string of strong performances could revive his Chelsea career, while a disappointing few weeks could just as easily accelerate his departure.

Josh Acheampong

The development of 20-year-old Josh Acheampong is a delicate topic at Chelsea. A product of the academy and widely regarded as one of the finest defenders of his age in England, the versatile youngster managed just eight Premier League starts last season. He featured in only one of Chelsea's final 12 matches, with his five other outings amounting to a combined 18 minutes.

Much like Fofana, Acheampong has the advantage of beginning work with Alonso at the earliest opportunity, and a positive start could determine whether he remains part of the Chelsea setup or heads out on loan this summer.

Levi Colwill is a nailed-on starter in Chelsea's backline when fit, and the arrival of Lacroix will severely reduce the playing time available to others. Acheampong may find himself competing directly with Fofana for the first-choice backup role.

Cole Palmer

The scrutiny surrounding Cole Palmer is of a very different nature. He is not at risk of being sold or dropped, yet that does not shield him from the intense pressure that was amplified when he was omitted from England's World Cup squad.

One silver lining from Palmer's disappointment is that he was among the first players to meet with Alonso, giving him an early chance to understand his role under the new manager. Supporters want to see the Palmer who burst onto the scene under Mauricio Pochettino, rather than the inconsistent version seen during Enzo Maresca's tenure.

Palmer is the focal point of this squad, and fans will be expecting a commanding preseason that reaffirms his status as the club's standout talent.

Jamie Gittens

Alejandro Garnacho has been shown the door, but fellow left winger Jamie Gittens has so far survived the squad overhaul — at least for the time being.

In reality, Gittens was arguably the more underwhelming of the two last season. Chelsea committed roughly $76 million (£55 million) to sign him from Borussia Dortmund, yet received just one goal across 27 appearances in return.

The imminent club-record signing of Morgan Rogers signals that Chelsea have effectively already moved on from their Gittens experiment. A disappointing preseason under Alonso could make that decision official.

Liam Delap

Liam Delap is a striker who managed three goals in 47 appearances last season. That alone speaks volumes.

Admittedly, only 20 of those came as starts, but the uncomfortable truth is that Delap rarely looked deserving of more game time during his first season at Stamford Bridge — a campaign further clouded by disciplinary problems on the pitch.

Chelsea have a surplus of strikers heading into the summer and at least one will be moved on. João Pedro's spot appears secure, but Delap's future is far less certain.

Emmanuel Emegha

The most recent player to benefit from the well-worn pipeline between Strasbourg and Chelsea — pending confirmation of Valentín Barco's impending move — is striker Emmanuel Emegha, whose transfer this summer had actually been arranged as far back as September 2025.

Enable functional cookies to see this feature.

Emegha finds himself in a comparable situation to Delap, with both vying alongside Nicolas Jackson for the role of Pedro's primary backup. An additional challenge for the Dutch forward is that a section of the fanbase has already questioned the rationale behind his signing.

If Chelsea see the 2024–25 version of Emegha — the one who scored 14 Ligue 1 goals in 27 outings — they may well have a gem on their hands. But the injury-disrupted 2025–26 edition, who netted just four times in 10 games, is unlikely to win over the skeptics.