Chelsea have been handed a major injury boost as summer recruits Marco Palestra and Emmanuel Emegha have both returned to full team training.
The new signings are still yet to make their competitive debuts for the Blues after injury-ridden starts to their careers in west London. Palestra has been battling a quad injury sustained just before the opening round of Premier League fixtures, while Emegha has been absent since July due to a hamstring complaint.
In positive news for Chelsea ahead of their next Premier League match against Bournemouth on Oct. 10, Palestra and Emegha have both been pictured in training by the club’s social media team.
Palestra, who featured heavily in preseason, will bolster Alonso’s options at wing back upon his return, with the Italian versatile enough to operate on either flank. There have been regular changes to personnel in the roles this season, with Jorrel Hato, Pedro Neto, Pep Chavarría and Malo Gusto all used thus far.
Emegha adds another dimension to Chelsea’s forward line, although the striker’s minutes are far from guaranteed this season considering the presence of both João Pedro and Danny Welbeck—both of whom have made goalscoring starts to the campaign.
Chelsea Still Sweating on Key Players
While Alonso will be buoyed by the return of two faces, he’s still left awaiting developments on injuries to far more significant members of his roster.
João Pedro missed Chelsea’s 3–0 defeat to Brentford just before the international period due to a knee injury, which also forced him to withdraw from Brazil duty. While he’s expected to be available against Bournemouth, it’s not yet certain.
Chelsea captain Reece James was also absent from the Brentford loss due to injury and then subsequently omitted from Thomas Tuchel’s England team. His availability is unclear for the game with the Cherries.
The same applies for both Cole Palmer and Moisés Caicedo, too. The former withdrew from the England roster with a muscle issue—and was criticized by Tuchel as a result—while the latter has played just 14 competitive minutes this season because of a calf injury.
Jamie Gittens also added his name to a growing injury list over the international period after hurting his ankle with England’s Under-21s.
Chelsea have failed to win any of their last three Premier League matches, meaning Alonso will be desperate to see some core players return from injury in time for Bournemouth’s visit.
