Why Xabi Alonso Will Be Without Key Chelsea Defender For Fulham Clash | OneFootball

Previewing Chelsea's Premier League opener against Fulham. Video Credit: Absolute Chelsea

The Xabi Alonso era gets underway on Monday night as Chelsea travel just two miles down the road to take on west London neighbours Fulham at Craven Cottage.

The new Chelsea manager will have an almost fully fit squad at his disposal for the opening game of the 2026/27 campaign, but a suspension carried over from the previous season will leave him a man short in the centre of Chelsea’s defence.

As Alonso experiments with a back three and a back four, his hand may have been forced into a specific system, with the Blues set to be without Wesley Fofana for the trip to Craven Cottage.

Fofana, who played 90 minutes in Chelsea’s final pre-season match last Saturday - a 3-1 victory over Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge - will have to watch the opening game of the season from the sidelines following his dismissal in the final game of the 2025/26 campaign.

The 25-year-old defender was sent off for the second time in three months during Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to Sunderland after receiving two yellow cards. The dismissal proved costly, as Chelsea missed out on Europa League football by just one point, with Sunderland pipping the Blues to seventh place on the final day of the Premier League season.

Just a couple of months earlier, Fofana had also been sent off in the 1-1 draw at home to Burnley, a game in which Chelsea were leading prior to his dismissal.

Disciplinary rules state that any red card picked up in either the Premier League, EFL Cup or FA Cup will carry over to the next available opportunity. With Fulham being Chelsea’s first opponents of the season, Fofana will therefore serve his suspension on Monday.

Fofana, who signed from Leicester in 2022 for a reported fee of around £70 million, has struggled to establish himself during his time at Stamford Bridge. After a turbulent first season, which saw the club finish 12th in the Premier League, the French defender missed the entirety of the 2023/24 campaign with a cruciate ligament injury.

A hamstring injury during the following season saw him miss both the Conference League and Club World Cup campaigns, two competitions Chelsea went on to win. Having been excluded from both squads, he has still yet to taste silverware at Stamford Bridge.

The defender recently sat down with The Athletic and stressed that his dream was to win silverware at Stamford Bridge.

“I want to win a trophy with the club because it was my dream to come to Chelsea. I won before (at Leicester) and when I came I had very high ambitions. I wanted to win everything with the club, and it is still the same.”

Since Alonso’s arrival, Fofana has played his fair share of minutes and has also changed his squad number to No. 3. With no European football and more time for rest, perhaps this could finally be his breakout season.

Who could replace Wesley Fofana in the XI?

In the Frenchman’s absence, Alonso could turn to club captain Reece James or even Josh Acheampong, whose versatility could be an asset in both a back three and a back four. James featured in midfield against Real Sociedad, but given Alonso's praise for his versatility, a defensive role could be on the cards for the London derby.

If the manager opts for a back four, the lineup is more straightforward, with Levi Colwill partnering new signing Maxence Lacroix.

Other options could have included Tosin Adarabioyo and Mamadou Sarr, but both are training away from the first team in the hope of securing a move away from the club before the transfer deadline on September 1.

Suspension rules have also impacted Monday’s opponents. Fulham's Joachim Andersen will serve the third and final match of his ban after picking up a red card in the 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth at the start of May.