Chelsea could target Xhaka-type midfielder to be Alonso’s midfield lieutenant | OneFootball

The Athletic’s piece about Xabi Alonso’s arrival at Chelsea claimed that the players in the first team are “incredibly positive” about the manager’s arrival.

We’re not surprised – it’s clearly a huge coup for the club to land him. From their point of view, he looks well placed to improve them individually, and he should also be able to improve them collectively and help them challenge for top trophies.

His experience as a top level player is something they will all want to draw on. It’s obvious that the stars of the team will benefit from a potentially elite manager coming in. But who are some lesser players who could thrive?

Assuming that the spine of the team will be Robert Sanchez, Reece James, Levi Colwill, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Marc Cucurella, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro next season (at least one could be sold if the financial situation is as bad as feared, but the vast majority will stay), there are three spaces up for grabs.

A centre back slot and a space on the wing will have plenty of competition both from players in the squad and potential summer additions. Central midfield is an interesting one – Andrey Santos and Romeo Lavia should be competing to play alongside Caicedo, but it’s also very possible to imagine Alonso wanting a different profile in there. If the former Bayer Leverkusen man has as much say on transfers as we expect, we can well imagine him asking for someone with Lavia’s game intelligence and ability on the ball, but with a bit more durability and physicality.

Granit Xhaka was a key veteran option for him in Germany – could we see Chelsea aim to buy a similar, experienced player who suits Alonso’s system and can also bring some of the mentality and leadership the squad lacks? It looks a good bet to us.