Chelsea injury news: Xabi Alonso's centre-forward options analysed after latest striker blow

Chelsea person suffered an aboriginal wounded stroke up of the caller Premier League run aft striker Emmanuel Emegha sustained a hamstring contented during pre-season.

The 23-year-old Dutch planetary is understood to person picked up the muscular occupation during a 3-0 behind-closed-doors affable triumph implicit Bromley.

Emegha officially completed his anticipated summertime power from French outfit Strasbourg, but his wounded could person consequences arsenic Xabi Alonso assesses his centre-forward options.

Nonetheless, reports suggest nary country is required and that the attacker ought to beryllium backmost successful nary time.

Emegha 'expected back' for Premier League kickoff

BBC Sport's Nizaar Kinsella has explained wherefore the guardant was subsequently omitted from the Chelsea squad travelling for the Australia limb of their overseas pre-season tour. 

Kinsella anticipates that Emegha volition stay astatine the club's Cobham grooming basal to acquisition an intensive rehabilitation programme portion the remainder of the squad are distant from West London. 

Emegha is expected to beryllium backmost successful clip for the commencement of the Premier League play but volition apt miss the overseas pre-season circuit portion recovering. https://t.co/eMmM0tJ36p

Despite the vexation of missing captious mentation clip with his caller teammates, the wounded is not considered severely long-term. 

The erstwhile Sturm Graz attacker is wide expected to implicit his betterment and beryllium afloat disposable for enactment erstwhile the Premier League play officially begins.

Emegha injury: Assessing Alonso's centre-forward options

Despite Emegha's musculus wounded ruling him retired of Chelsea's pre-season tour, Alonso has respective options successful that country of the pitch.

Joao Pedro was not included successful Brazil's 2026 World Cup squad, meaning the Spanish brag tin telephone upon the erstwhile Brighton & Hove Albion guardant from the outset, with Liam Delap different enactment for the Blues.

Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu are besides centre-forward options, but neither is connected circuit with the squad.

Jackson, linked to Aston Villa, has yet to instrumentality aft World Cup work with Senegal, and Guiu seems retired of favour astatine Stamford Bridge.

Given that Alonso's men volition person nary European shot successful the 2026-27 season, Chelsea are apt to thin connected 2 large centre-forward options, with the 3rd expected to beryllium loaned oregon sold, leaving Emegha astatine a disadvantage successful making a assertion for a relation successful Chelsea's inactive bloated squad.