3 players could be affected by Xabi Alonso at Chelsea

Xabi Alonso at Chelsea: Xabi Alonso makes Porto star Diogo Costa his priority to solve the Chelsea goalkeeper crisis

Xabi Alonso at Chelsea: It is officially underway. Xabi Alonso is at Stamford Bridge wheel after signing a four-year contract in May, and he wasted absolutely no time putting the boot into Chelsea’s recent past. During his first media briefing on Tuesday, the Spaniard made his standards crystal clear. Tenth place is unacceptable. Change is coming, and it starts right at the back. Word from Metro suggests the new boss has seen quite enough of Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen. Sanchez had a nightmare last term with some proper horror-show blunders. Meanwhile, Jorgensen wants out because he wants guaranteed minutes elsewhere.

Fixing the spine is the main mission now. True, the Blues already shelled out £47m on Italy international Marco Palestra. They also need a left-back to replace Marc Cucurella. But you cannot build a title charge on shaky foundations. Alonso knows this. He wants a world-class presence between the sticks, someone who does not panic when the press high-steps into the box.

Portuguese giants hold all the cards in the battle for Costa

According to reports from Correio da Manha, the hierarchy in west London is laying the groundwork for a bid to sign Porto captain Diogo Costa. He is 26. He has 48 caps for Portugal. He just ran the show from the back during their 2026 World Cup campaign. Alonso has actually liked him for a very long time, way before the keeper started turning heads on the global stage this summer. But getting him out of the Estadio do Dragao is going to be an absolute nightmare.

There is a £51m release clause in Costa’s contract. Porto want every single penny of that €61m fee. Chelsea, in their usual fashion, are trying to play it cheap, valuing him closer to £34m. That gap is massive. Porto do not need to sell, and they certainly will not be bullied, particularly with clubs like Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain sniffing around the player. It is starting to feel exactly like the Mike Maignan saga from last year, when Chelsea haggled over small change and ended up empty-handed.

The numbers behind Alonso’s primary target

Porto’s stubborn stance makes total sense when you look at the sheet. Costa was practically unbeatable in Liga Portugal last season. He played 33 games, clocked over 2900 minutes, and managed to ship just 15 goals. Fifteen. That is the tightest defence in the entire Portuguese top tier. On top of that, he registered 19 clean sheets and even stopped a penalty.

Those stats are the reason Porto lifted the domestic title. Alonso wants that winner’s mentality at Cobham. He wants a player who hates conceding goals more than they love winning. Chelsea’s current options simply do not offer that kind of elite security.

A brutal baptism of fire awaits the new boss

We will see what this team are made of very soon. Alonso gets his first taste of Premier League pressure on August 24. It is a west London derby against Fulham. The squad is a bit of a mess, but the manager is talking a big game. He is bullish. He thinks the potential at Stamford Bridge is huge and wants to build a side that wins immediately. He wants the fans on his side from the first whistle. Having Costa behind the backline would make that transition a whole lot easier, but the finances are a massive hurdle.

Read: Chelsea told to immediately complete signing of rock-solid World Cup star

Scorzo’s opinion: Paying the price for true quality

Chelsea cannot keep settling for second-rate options in goal. Sanchez does not have the concentration required to win trophies. Letting Jorgensen leave without a replacement of Costa’s calibre would be suicidal. The Portuguese keeper is the real deal. He has the presence, the leadership, and the trophies to back it up. Porto will not budge on that £51m price tag. Chelsea need to pay up. If they lose out on him over £17m, they will regret it all year. Alonso needs backing, and the board must deliver his modern-day Petr Cech before the window closes.