Marco Palestra could finally be in line for his Premier League debut with Chelsea when they take on AFC Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon, as head coach Xabi Alonso has confirmed that the Italy international has trained and is 'ready to go'.
Palestra joined Chelsea from Atalanta in a deal worth €60m with bonuses included during the summer transfer window, but an unspecified injury issue has prevented him from making his first competitive appearance for the Blues since then.
Marco Palestra has completed his transfer to Chelsea from Atalanta (chelseafc.com)
The 21-year-old, who broke into the Italy national team squad towards the end of the 2025-26 season, had featured regularly for Chelsea during pre-season, but suffered 'a set-back' in training as Alonso put it, just before the 2026-27 Premier League season got underway.
He has since been forced to watch on from the stands for Chelsea's first five Premier League matches of the 2026-27 season, which have resulted in two wins, one draw and two defeats.
He also missed out on selection for the Italy national team squad in September and will now face stiff competition upon his return after an impressive first camp for Brentford's Michael Kayode.
Encouragingly for the former Atalanta and Cagliari wing-back, Alonso has confirmed that he is in contention to feature when Chelsea take on Bournemouth on Saturday.
HONG KONG, CHINA – AUGUST 5: Jeremie Boga of Juventus FC (L) and Marco Palestra of Chelsea FC (R) competes to the ball during the Chelsea v Juventus – Pre-Season Friendly at the Kai Tak Stadium on August 5, 2026 in Hong Kong, China. (Photo by Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
During his pre-match press conference on Friday, Alonso was asked for updates on Chelsea stars Cole Palmer, Reece James and Joao Pedro.
He replied: "Yes, they've all been able to train, some of them more than others. Marco Palestra as well. That was the plan. They have trained well and are ready to go."
