Why Chelsea must get rid of Marcos Alonso in January

The Sun suggests that Chelsea outcast Marcos Alonso could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge in January with Inter Milan and Juventus preparing to bid for him.

The former Real Madrid Castilla player moved to Chelsea from Fiorentina in 2016 for £24m. He established himself as the first-choice under Antonio Conte and was used on many occasions by Maurizio Sarri during the Italian’s one-year spell as Chelsea manager.

Alonso, 28, has made over 100 appearances for the Blues in his three and a half years at Stamford Bridge. He was very successful in his first two seasons with the club. Later on, after the arrival of Emerson Palmieri, his position was clearly in danger.

This season, the Spaniard has featured in only 7 Premier League games and is finding it hard to convince Chelsea boss Frank Lampard for a regular place in the starting XI. He has become an outcast under Lampard.

Chelsea, who were successful in their appeal against the ban imposed on them by FIFA, are targeting Leicester City’s growing talent Ben Chilwell, according to the report. And if this signing happens to be successful, Alonso would find himself further down the pecking order.

At the moment, Emerson is considered to be the first choice for this spot under Lampard. In recent times, the Blues boss has deployed club captain Cesar Azpilicueta in the left-back position. Azpilicueta seems to have lost his place on the opposite side to fast-developing academy graduate Reece James.

Alonso’s days in Chelsea colours seem to be numbered and it would also be a huge waste of resources by Chelsea, who would be spending too much on a third-choice player.

Alonso seems to have slowed down a bit in his game. Under former boss Antonio Conte, Alonso was successful in the three-man back-line, which suited him perfectly. Lampard has gone with four defenders to hold their line, with the full-backs providing assistance in their attacks.

This formation has got the better of Alonso and his place in the line-up seems bleak. He hasn’t featured at all for Chelsea in the Premier League since October 26. He was also not present in the squad that travelled to Valencia for the Champions League fixture at the end of last month.

Verdict

With Emerson putting more pressure on this position, Alonso’s only chance to get back to action would be to impress Lampard.

Read more

• Why Ousmane Dembele would be a top-class signing for Chelsea
• Why Chelsea must loan out Jake Clarke-Salter again in January
• Why Chelsea signing Wilfried Zaha would be a world-class move

Therefore, being on the bench has given Alonso more time to contemplate on his future and it would be good if he moves to a club where he can find his chances.