Chelsea Round-Up, Monday 26th October: Alonso Backs Penders as Focus Turns to Liverpool Cup Clash
Attention is firmly on Wednesday night's EFL Cup trip to face Liverpool, with Chelsea.com previewing how to watch the game and confirming the Blues' build-up continues at Cobham (ChelseaFC.com) (ChelseaFC.com). Sports Mole has put together the latest injury and suspension list ahead of the match, with Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer among the names mentioned (Sports Mole). ESPN note that, like their hosts, Chelsea are still finding their feet under a head coach appointed at the start of the season, with Xabi Alonso's side picking up some decent wins but still searching for consistency (ESPN). Football.London report that Alonso has already confirmed one young Chelsea star will definitely start against Liverpool, leaping to his defence ahead of the Carabao Cup tie (Football.London).
That player appears to be goalkeeper Mike Penders, with ESPN reporting that Alonso and Maxence Lacroix have both publicly backed the 21-year-old after his own goal contributed to Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Tottenham (ESPN). The club's own Chelsea Diary column also touches on a week of "decisive domestic action and European nights" as the fixtures come thick and fast (ChelseaFC.com).
There's been plenty of fallout from the Spurs defeat too. Football.London carry a fresh verdict on Cole Palmer's red card in that match, with pundits suggesting the officials "know what he's doing" (Football.London), while a separate review reportedly found that a Tottenham player was lucky to avoid a similar fate during the heated clash (Football.London). BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team have clarified which game Palmer's suspension will actually rule him out of, confirming he will be available for the Premier League meeting with Manchester United (BBC Sport).
On the transfer front, Football365 report that Alonso has convinced Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott to join Chelsea, with a verbal agreement in place over personal terms ahead of a possible £90million move in January (Football365). Football.London separately claim Chelsea have already identified their next summer target for Alonso's rebuild, though any deal could cost in the region of £100million (Football.London). Elsewhere, Chelsea legend Ashley Cole has reportedly opened talks over the vacant managerial job at Bromley, according to Sports Mole (Sports Mole).
In the women's game, Chelsea.com have put together a gallery from Malard's inspired comeback win at Crystal Palace (ChelseaFC.com), and have also published Lucy Bronze's thoughts on Baltimore's "magic" and the team's desire proving decisive in that victory (ChelseaFC.com). Attention for the women's side also turns to Europe, with Chelsea.com previewing how to watch the upcoming Chelsea Women vs Roma clash (ChelseaFC.com). On the honours front, BBC Sport confirm Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert has been named on the shortlist for the Scottish Women's Football Awards 2026 (BBC Sport). Away from the first team, Chelsea.com confirm young talent Chizaram Ezenwata has signed a new deal with the club (ChelseaFC.com).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.