Some young Chelsea players Xabi Alonso will aim to use extensively starting at the beginning of the 2026/27 Premier League campaign as he aims to stamp his authority as their new manager.
The Spanish coach has arrived at Stamford Bridge with a wealth of experience and reputation, having helped Bayer Leverkusen win the Bundesliga in the past and even managing Real Madrid before an unfortunate early exit in the 2025/26 season.
Now, among the key objectives for Alonso would be to get Chelsea back to being among the Premier League title contenders and also for the young Chelsea players to perform efficiently under him.
Fortunately for him, the Spanish coach will be inheriting some quality young Chelsea players in his arsenal, and it’ll be up to his coaching and tactical structure to get the very best out of them.
With that being said, here we look at three young Chelsea players who could particularly shine under Xabi Alonso.
Young Chelsea Players Who Can Thrive Under Xabi Alonso
Estevao Willian
Estevao Willian is a player from whom there are great expectations from many Chelsea fans. He’s definitely among the most exciting young Chelsea players in the squad, having been signed in 2025 for a pretty formidable fee from Palmeiras, with long-term intentions being viewed.
However, Alonso’s liking for talented young players who can raise the element of surprise in his Chelsea side can make Estevao a player who can significantly benefit from the new manager’s tactics.
Estevao had a pretty exciting debut campaign in the 2025/26 season for Chelsea, managing four goal contributions (two goals, two assists) in the Premier League and famously scoring against the likes of Barcelona in the Champions League and Liverpool in the Premier League.
The 19-year-old winger boasts impressive pace that can torment defenders, as well as a dribbling quality that allows him to slip past threats easily.
Alonso will have to give Estevao enough freedom in the final third, encouraging him to keep running at defenders and get the ball into the box, before using his powerful shooting and clever passing skills to raise Chelsea’s goal-scoring threat.
Reggie Walsh
With Xabi Alonso being a well-known midfielder in his playing career, one of the young Chelsea players that he’ll look to promote to the senior squad will be young Reggie Walsh.
The 17-year-old became Chelsea’s second-youngest Englishman to play in the UEFA Champions League last season, making four appearances for them as well, and his performances at the youth level might compel the Spanish gaffer to use him as a senior player in the 2026/27 season and beyond.
Walsh is a highly versatile midfielder, being able to play anywhere in the midfield – be it as an anchor sitting in front of defenders, a roaming box-to-box threat or even as a creative No.10. He normally excels higher up the pitch, and Alonso will look to put those skills of him to good use.
Because of competitiveness in the Chelsea squad, Walsh might not get to start all that many matches apart from those in the cup. But the unpredictability factor he brings with his clever final third passes and goal-scoring threat from midfield can make him a clever substitute option to use when Chelsea are in dire need of more goals from midfield.
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Jorrel Hato
Jorrel Hato is heading into his second season with Chelsea, after experiencing some teething issues in the 2025/26 campaign for the Blues following his arrival from Ajax.
However, knowing his proactive playing style and defensive attributes, the Dutch centre-back should be among those young Chelsea players that Alonso will look to regularly use in the 2026/27 season.
The 20-year-old defender, who can play both as a centre-back and left-back, managed 100 defensive contributions in 22 Premier League appearances for Chelsea last season and proved himself as an energetic, proactive defender.
Alonso might use Hato as a left-sided centre-back, especially if he plays a three-at-the-back formation at Chelsea, and the Dutchman should have the chance to prove how good he is defensively in a possession-based system and also show off his passing and potentially chance-creation skills as well.
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