Alonso reveals Chelsea’s bomb squad: €200m talent frozen out by Blues boss

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Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020

Xabi Alonso inadvertently revealed Chelsea’s new bomb squad with his squad selection for the club’s final pre-season friendly against Real Sociedad on Saturday afternoon.

The Blues ended their preparations for the 2026-27 campaign with a 3-1 win over Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side, with Morgan Rogers opening the scoring in his first appearance for the club and Joao Pedro netting a second-half brace after Jon Aramburu had equalised.

Alonso named a strong starting XI for the clash, with summer signings Marco Palestra, Maxence Lacroix and Rogers all selected, and he opted to deploy a back-three system with Pedro Neto and Palestra providing width from wing-back.

The substitutes bench included the likes of Estevao Willian, Jamie Gittens and Enzo Fernandez, who was booed by sections of the crowd upon his introduction in the second period, but a number of stars were omitted entirely.

Chelsea have spent €408 million on 12 new signings so far this summer and it has been widely reported that player departures will be prioritised for the remainder of the transfer window, with a host of stars expected to leave before Deadline Day on 1 September.

Andrey Santos, Marc Cucurella, Trevoh Chalobah, Tyrique George and Jimmy-Jay Morgan have all been sold permanently so far this summer, and Alonso’s matchday squad selection on Saturday suggests that several others will follow suit over the coming weeks.

Emmanuel Emegha, Aaron Anselmino, Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck were all omitted due to injury issues, with the quartet spotted watching behind the Chelsea dugout, however the remainder of the absentees appear likely to depart before the window closes.

Chelsea’s new ‘bomb squad’

Chelsea have avoided creating a formal ‘bomb squad’ this summer, but that may change following Alonso’s selection versus Real Sociedad, with €203.9 million worth of talent left at home.

Mykhailo Mudryk, Mamadou Sarr, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi, Marc Guiu, David Datro Fofana, Nicolas Jackson, and Liam Delap were the notable omissions from Chelsea’s matchday squad on Saturday, and it suggests that all nine players could be set to leave Stamford Bridge before the end of the window.

Mudryk is expected to depart on loan after his return to competitive action following a doping ban, while the Blues are also keen to send Sarr away on a temporary spell in order to continue his development.

Badiashile is on the verge of joining Napoli on an initial loan deal, Disasi is likely to be sold and Tosin may also depart amid reported interest from Benfica and Marseille. Marc Guiu and David Datro Fofana will both leave permanently if Chelsea receive suitable bids for the pair.

Meanwhile, Jackson and Delap have both been heavily linked with an exit following the summer arrivals of Emegha and Welbeck, with Aston Villa interested in the former and Como keen to land the latter.