Chelsea Q&A: Palmer fitness, Camara, Alonso and Colwill latest

Chelsea supporters had plenty to digest during the three-week international break after watching their side slip to a demoralising 3-0 defeat at Brentford, a result that left them 10th in the Premier League.

When will the injured players return? Should Xabi Alonso continue with a back three or switch to a four-man defence? And which midfielder could Chelsea pursue in January?

Kieran Gill, our reporter covering the Blues, addresses your questions on the latest developments at Chelsea.

Will Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, Marco Palestra, Reece James and Moises Caicedo be available for the Bournemouth game?

The encouraging news is that, barring any further setbacks, all five players are expected to be available when Bournemouth visit on October 10, Chelsea’s first Premier League fixture after the international break.

Palmer pulled out of England duty because of a minor muscle problem, but he is expected to recover in time to start for Chelsea once domestic action resumes.

Palestra is also expected to be back. Chelsea could have taken the risk of using him against Brentford, according to sources, but chose to give him additional recovery time instead of handing him a competitive debut. Quad problems have kept him out throughout the season so far.

Caicedo did not join up with Ecuador, although he had returned to training before the break. Alonso has stressed that he does not want to rush the 24-year-old back, particularly after his previous calf setback.

James should be available too. His hamstring injury has not been considered serious and, although Chelsea have not provided a firm recovery date, the timing of the international break gives him a useful window to regain fitness.

The biggest uncertainty surrounds Joao Pedro. I have not been able to obtain enough first-hand information about his knee injury, while neither Chelsea nor the striker’s camp has offered much clarity. ESPN Brazil has reported that the 24-year-old could require three to four weeks to recover.

If that estimate is accurate, Joao Pedro should return alongside the other players and be in contention for the Bournemouth fixture.

Alonso and his medical team, led by Bryce Cavanagh, will have to determine which players are ready to start immediately and which may only be fit enough for a place on the bench. Alonso is unlikely to reveal much in his pre-match press conference, as he will not want to give Bournemouth any useful information.

Chelsea could arrange an internal practice match at Cobham before facing Bournemouth, although I have not heard of any behind-closed-doors fixture against another club being organised.

Can the deal for Lamine Camara of Monaco be revived in January or is the relationship between the clubs too broken?

From what I understand, Chelsea have not blacklisted Monaco. Completely refusing to deal with the French club in future would ultimately damage Chelsea more than it would help them.

When the clubs next negotiate, whether for Camara or another player, Chelsea will almost certainly seek more favourable terms after Monaco abandoned the midfielder’s £47million transfer on deadline day.

Camara’s potential move in January is less straightforward. Chelsea admired the midfielder during the summer and continue to rate him, but Monaco could insist that the player is not available for sale during the winter window.

They are top of the table in France’s Ligue 1. They are unbeaten, having won six and drawn one game in all competitions. Camara has been crucial for Monaco and completed seven full 90 minutes in succession – must be nice having a fully-fit midfielder! – and is continuing to impress after being named one of Filipe Luis’s vice-captains for 2026-27.

Monaco know waiting until next summer could spark a transfer tussle, with Liverpool among several other clubs tracking Camara. So I suspect revisiting Camara in January would be tricky for Chelsea, who also looked at Roma’s Manu Kone in the summer. Like Monaco, Roma are flying, sitting top of Italy’s Serie A, and like Camara, Kone has been a consistent starter, albeit regularly substituted.

Chelsea regarding Alex Scott as a top target is no secret, though Bournemouth categorically insisted they would not do a deal in the summer and they may stand by that stance this January, too. Convincing another club to part with one of their better players midway through a campaign can be extremely challenging, and costly. 

Bournemouth sold Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City last January but that was via his release clause worth £65m. When Bournemouth eventually warm towards selling Scott, we can expect Chelsea to be at the table.

Will Alonso be trying a four at the back soon or does he want to wait to see how they perform when Caicedo and Co return?

Alonso has started matches with a back four. Three times. Against Luton: 4-2-3-1 and a 2-0 win. Against Leeds: 4-3-3 and a 6-3 win. Against Hull: 4-2-3-1 and a 2-2 draw.

But he has relied on a 3-4-2-1 otherwise. I do suspect Alonso and his analysts will be using a chunk of this international break to assess whether they should stick with three at the back. 

Having Caicedo back would at least add some solidity into that set-up, so it is probably worth a look.

Do you think the owners will give Alonso time if this season is a failure?

It’s perhaps a little unfair on Alonso for us to start thinking this season will be a failure. He’s seven competitive games into his Chelsea career. He deserves time rather than talk of being at risk, because that isn’t the case.

Why are Estevao, Geovany Quenda and Jamie Gittens not getting any minutes?

They are just down the pecking order right now, and Alonso’s 3-4-2-1 leaves limited room for touchline wingers. Estevao has had to get used to being a substitute used in the last 10 minutes, which makes it hard for the 19-year-old Brazilian to find any rhythm.

Quenda at least came on in the 71st minute against Brentford in what was his second substitute appearance of the season in all competitions, and he can be used as a wing back, which helps.

Gittens has been an unused substitute in all five of Chelsea’s Premier League fixtures, and was hooked at half-time in their Carabao Cup clash with Leeds in his one start, so I can’t imagine he is too thrilled with how his season has started after Roma’s summer interest in him.

When players like Palestra, Caicedo, James and Joao Pedro return from their injuries, some of these wingers may be pushed out of the matchday squad altogether.

Do you see Robert Sanchez coming back next season?

Can’t see it. I mean, technically he might, because he’s on loan at Como without a locked-in obligation, but the aim is to sell him permanently next summer.

Chelsea brought in Emiliano Martinez on a three-year contract – two years plus the option of a third – and have high hopes for 21-year-old Mike Penders.

What’s happening with Alejandro Garnacho?

First, what we know.

Garnacho is on a season-long loan at Aston Villa with a conditional obligation. If Villa were to sign him permanently, Chelsea would make what sources have described as a ‘small, small, small profit’ on the £40m they paid Manchester United for him in 2025. 

Garnacho has not started a single game for Villa, and has been an unused substitute in their last four fixtures. Which is not ideal.

What we do not know is how many appearances it would take for his loan to become permanent as per the clause. Chelsea sources described it as easily achievable when the temporary transfer went through. 

They were wary of what happened with Harvey Elliott at Villa last season. So you have to hope they negotiated a lower total than Elliott’s 10 league appearances in that case. Still, when you ask, neither Villa nor Chelsea will disclose the details of Garnacho’s deal.

Right now, Garnacho is not playing, at all. Both Villa and Chelsea would need to agree to terminate his loan in January due to no exit clause existing. That would not be beneficial to Chelsea if they did not have somewhere else to send him. Spanish clubs are continuing to monitor Garnacho.

Any news on new contracts? What’s Levi Colwill’s fitness levels?

Two for one here. I have heard Colwill has held talks. However, as of last week when I spoke to a source about his situation, a new deal has not yet been agreed. Besides, announcing an extension for a defender would be tricky when the team have been conceding for fun of late.

Colwill’s fitness levels are said to be fairly good now – good enough to go into this international break following back-to-back full 90s – though we knew it would take him time to overcome his ACL horror injury which effectively saw his 2025-26 season written off.

Speaking of Colwill, I have some quotes from him as the Chelsea Foundation is extending its Wrap Up Warm grants for a further year, providing a combined £75,000 of unrestricted funding to three local charities supporting people experiencing homelessness. That will go to the Barons Court Project, Vineyard Community and York Road Project.

Colwill said: ‘Homelessness is something I’ve always felt really passionate about, so it’s brilliant that Chelsea Foundation is supporting such important work in our local communities. 

‘I’ve been lucky enough to see the work of Barons Court Project first-hand and understand the difference organisations like this can make to people’s lives. 

‘It’s fantastic that the Foundation is extending its support to Barons Court Project, Vineyard Community and York Road Project, and I’m sure these partnerships will have a significant impact within our community.’