The £17m midfielder Chelsea could sign instead of Granit Xhaka

Chelsea will enter the 2026/27 with many eyes on them.

They have appointed Xabi Alonso as their new first-team manager, a real coup for BlueCo, but there is also an acceptance that the Blues will face plenty of scrutiny following their lowly tenth-placed finish in the Premier League last year.

BlueCo have hacked through any number of managers since taking control in 2022, and stability has not been the word of the day for Chelsea since then, with various titles secured, but also many ups and downs tainting this latest chapter at Stamford Bridge.

Now, Alonso’s vision should pave the way forward for a club who only feel right when challenging for the biggest titles on offer.

However, they need to prevent an exodus that could derail Alonso’s tenure before it even gets going, with Enzo Fernandez mooted to be on the move in the next few months.

Chelsea in talks to sign Fernandez replacement

Fernandez is Chelsea’s captain, but he is hoping to pursue a transfer away from Stamford Bridge this summer, with Chelsea bound to domestic duties next term.

With Marc Cucurella already sold to Real Madrid this summer, there is a growing sense that Fernandez could follow suit – though whether Los Blancos would be willing to meet Chelsea’s £120m valuation for the Argentina midfielder is another question entirely.

However, Enzo wants to leave, and the Blues may well be eyeing a repeat of the deal that brought him over from Benfica for a record-breaking fee in January 2023.

While a move for Granit Xhaka has been explored, he is not the only midfielder they are looking at. Indeed, as per TEAMtalk, Chelsea are among the clubs to have been in contact with the representatives of Morocco international Neil El Aynaoui, who is dazzling at the World Cup after a first-class season with Roma in Serie A.

El Aynaoui, 24, may be eager to move on from Roma as he searches for more starts. At the World Cup, he has shown that he can impress for a club like Chelsea, and with so many suitors lining up, such as Liverpool and Manchester United, among others, BlueCo decision-makers are going to need to act quickly.

Valued at £17m when Leeds United sniffed around last summer, Chelsea would likely have to stump up a bigger fee this year, albeit still landing the midfielder for a smart sum.

Why El Aynaoui can be Chelsea’s new Enzo Fernandez

Hailed for having been “immense in the midfield” for the African nation this summer by journalist Antonio Mango, El Aynaoui is developing into quite the underrated midfielder, and his all-encompassing performances could set him in fine stead to replace Fernandez at Chelsea.

Many eyes have been on Ayyoub Bouaddi this summer – Chelsea’s among them – but El Aynaoui has the skill to grow into a midfield superstar himself, showing at the World Cup that he can throw down with the best of them.

He is not the most progressive when dribbling forward, but then, neither is Fernandez, and he is still a superstar. This would be a shrewd signing for a Chelsea side in transition, adding to the fold an emergent talent who has a lot to prove.

It is surprising that he played such a bit-part role for Roma last term, clearly with the defensive security and ease in possession to make a difference for such a side. They qualified for the Champions League, so the Romans will hardly harbour much frustration over how their campaign panned out, but he could have played a bigger role, for sure.

It might seem like something of a gamble for Chelsea, but this could be the kind of astute piece of business that has often alluded the Londoners in recent years, and with Moises Caicedo beside him, he could settle in nicely, solid and stylish.

Fernandez surely has the more expansive passing game, but Morocco’s rising star might actually be a more confident defender, bringing confidence and cohesion to his midfield. Morocco, after all, have been immense this summer, and if they beat Canada at the weekend, they will enter the last 8, where France will probably lie waiting.

Losing Fernandez this summer would be a blow for Chelsea, but in El Aynaoui, Alonso could land a World Cup breakout star with the potential to cement himself as one of the shrewdest signings in many years at Stamford Bridge.