Xabi Alonso has made a winning start as Chelsea manager, with his side claiming six points from their opening two Premier League fixtures of the 2026/27 season.
The Blues have been in fine attacking form, scoring seven goals across victories over Fulham and Brighton and Hove Albion in those opening two outings.
However, defensive vulnerabilities have surfaced, with Chelsea conceding five goals despite collecting maximum points from both matches, raising early concerns.
The midfield department has been identified as Alonso’s most pressing problem, with the manager forced to deploy unconventional solutions across his first two games in charge.
Malo Gusto and Roméo Lavia were paired together in central midfield in the most recent fixture, while club captain Reece James shifted into that role against Fulham on the opening weekend.
Lavia has been the only constant, starting both Premier League games, but the squad depth behind him remains a significant concern heading into the final days of the window.
Enzo Fernandez has made clear his desire to leave Stamford Bridge this summer, though Manchester City are yet to submit a formal offer despite their reported interest in the Argentine.
Moises Caicedo returned from injury as a substitute in the weekend victory, but limped off just 14 minutes after replacing Pedro Neto, casting fresh doubt over his immediate availability.
Summer signing Valentin Barco has also featured sparingly, accumulating only eight minutes of Premier League action across the opening two matches of the campaign.
With the transfer deadline fast approaching, Chelsea have made an approach to Roma for Manu Kone, though no formal bid has yet been submitted for the 25-year-old French international.
Roma are reluctant to sell the midfielder before the window closes, which has led the Chelsea hierarchy to explore alternative options, with AS Monaco’s Lamine Camara emerging as a key target.
Journalist Sacha Tavolieri has claimed that a deal worth in the region of €45m (£39m) has been agreed between Chelsea and Monaco for the signature of the Senegalese international.
Tavolieri also reported that only a few remaining issues need resolving before the transfer can be formally completed, raising hopes of an imminent announcement.
When comparing the two midfield targets statistically from last season, Camara clearly outperforms Kone across several key metrics that would appeal directly to Alonso’s system.
The 22-year-old created an impressive 1.7 chances per 90 minutes last season, while also registering a 54% dribble success rate in France’s top division.
Those figures placed Camara above 90% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues, underlining his quality as one of the continent’s most exciting young central midfielders.
Camara also completed more of his attempted crosses than Kone during the 2025/26 campaign, further demonstrating his superior technical ability when in possession of the ball.
Out of possession, the Monaco star was equally impressive, winning more ground duels and making more interceptions per 90 minutes than his Roma counterpart.
His defensive output ranked him above 92% of midfielders in Ligue 1, confirming his credentials as a genuine box-to-box player capable of influencing games at both ends of the pitch.
Monaco manager Filipe Luis has already described Camara as “one of the best midfielders in the world,” a bold endorsement that carries significant weight given his direct knowledge of the player.
Securing Camara for just £39m would represent outstanding value for Chelsea, offering Alonso both an immediate impact player and a long-term midfield cornerstone at Stamford Bridge.