Welbeck & Colwill - Xabi Alonso issues Chelsea injury news ahead of Premier League opener vs Fulham
The Blues will open their new season against Fulham.
Danny Welbeck and the Chelsea players who participated in the World Cup will all be eligible for selection for Chelsea’s Premier League opener against Fulham on Monday night, according to Xabi Alonso.
Welbeck, who joined from Brighton earlier this summer, exercised alone on Thursday, raising questions about his level of fitness.
Xabi Alonso issues Chelsea injury update for Fulham clash
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Despite a little setback, Alonso has indicated that Welbeck will be fit and ready to make his competitive debut at Craven Cottage.
“Danny Welbeck has been training individually. He can be involved. He just needed a couple of days not training that much because of a little thing. We expect him to be back [training] on Saturday. We need to go day by day, but that is the plan at the moment.”
“With the other players, let’s see. We will check and assess them, but for sure because of the World Cup they came back a little bit later and will need a little more time. But they are all available and can be selected in the line-up against Fulham, for sure.”
Many Chelsea players, including Reece James, Enzo Fernandez, Maxence Lacroix, Morgan Rogers, Valentin Barco, and Malo Gusto, only reported for pre-season after the team toured Southeast Asia. These players received prolonged summer breaks as a result of their participation in the World Cup.
Alonso also updated on Levi Colwill’s fitness. The centre-back missed much of the 2025–2026 season while recovering from surgery after tearing his ACL a year ago this month.
Alonso added: “I would say having a proper pre-season has helped (Colwill) in taking the right steps in the right moment. We don’t want to rush him too quickly because of what he had last year.
“Now, after pre-season, we are expecting him to play in a good way with the confidence and the fitness to have him at his best level. For me, he is one of the best centre-backs in the world.”
Will Danny Welbeck play for Chelsea vs Fulham?
Yes, he is fit to play against them.
When is Chelsea’s game against Fulham?
On 25th August at 12:30 am IST.
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After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.