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Chelsea’s lengthy injury list before the recent international break that was full of key players has otherwise shortened notably, with the likes of Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo all starting last weekend’s 5-1 thrashing of Bournemouth in the Premier League.
There was also a competitive debut off the bench in the second half for summer signing Marco Palestra, with a feel-good factor restored at Stamford Bridge after a difficult run following Alonso’s initially bright start that culminated in a dismal 3-0 loss to west London rivals Brentford.
Reece James
James initially missed Chelsea’s woeful defeat at Brentford prior to the international break with a hamstring injury that also ruled him out of contention for England selection ahead of the start of the Nations League.
However, with an extended three-week window in which to recover, he rejoined training and was expected to be fit to start against Bournemouth.
James then suffered a knee injury at Cobham that Alonso initially described as “little”, ruling him out of the 5-1 rout.
Hammer blow: Reece James will not be back in action for Chelsea until January
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It looked initially unclear as to whether he might return against Everton this weekend, only for Chelsea to announce on Friday morning that James had undergone “successful minor knee surgery” that was deemed the required course of action after further medical assessments.
“Reece has already begun his road to recovery and will be supported by the club's medical department at Cobham during this rehabilitation phase,” Chelsea said.
“Everyone at Chelsea wishes Reece a speedy recovery and will support him on his road to return.”
Chelsea gave no timeframe for James’ recovery, but Standard Sport understands that he is expected to be back playing in around three months.
Potential return date: Mid-January
Jamie Gittens
Jamie Gittens is the other Chelsea player who definitely won’t be available to face Everton.
The winger has struggled with injury throughout his time at Stamford Bridge so far, following a £51.5million transfer from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2025.
Gittens’ only start to date this season came in the Carabao Cup win over Leeds, when he was brought off at half-time. He came off the bench against Luton in the same competition and was an unused substitute in each of Chelsea’s first five league games of the campaign.
He was unavailable against Bournemouth after suffering an ankle injury while playing for England’s Under-21s in a 2027 European Championship qualifier against Kazakhstan at Molineux last month.
Injury struggle: Jamie Gittens hurt his ankle while playing for England’s Under-21s
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“He is not going to be fit for tomorrow,” Alonso said before the Bournemouth game. “That is the bad news from this international break, that he picked up an injury in his ankle. He is going to be out for a few weeks.”
Emmanuel Emegha
Emmanuel Emegha has yet to play for Chelsea in a competitive match since arriving from BlueCo sister club Strasbourg in the summer in a switch that was first agreed last year.
He started pre-season well and scored in back-to-back behind-closed-doors friendlies against Crawley and Bromley at Cobham, but picked up a hamstring injury against the latter.
Emegha has not featured since, though was an unused substitute during the Carabao Cup win over Luton back in August.
Potential return date: Saturday October 17, vs Everton (A)