The more I analyse Xabi Alonso’s style, the more obvious it becomes that he needs a deep midfield dictator — someone at the heart of the combinations who can consistently find the spare man or the third-man runner.
He had Xhaka at Leverkusen. At Real Madrid, he struggled with the lack of that profile and even had to use Güler in the first phase of build-up.
He really needs a clean, press-resistant passer who can spot movements before they happen and execute those passes consistently.
At Chelsea, the best fit for that role is probably the guy who is never fit — Romeo Lavia. After him, Enzo Fernández, and then Barco if we sign him. But Barco is still too light physically at the moment and would likely be targeted.
If we sell Enzo, we absolutely need to replace him with a top-class passer. I honestly wish Wharton was more physical because I’d already be leading the campaign for him.
Again, the safer approach might be to sign a lower-cost, experienced profile like Xhaka for a year or two, while using that period to develop the long-term solution for the role. I think both Andrey Santos and Barco can be developed technically and physically to play that role.
CISSA WEEK 2026 IS FINALLY HERE! 🔥
Exceptional CISSAites,
The anticipation keeps building… and it’s finally time to unveil what we have been preparing for you. 🤎✨
Line-Up for the Highly Anticipated CISSA Week 2026: