Chelsea players will be happy to see Moises Caicedo back in the team says Xabi Alonso – who will be even happier.

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Xabi Alonso’s seven games in charge of Chelsea so far have been without the injured Moises Caicedo, and today could be the day he finally is able to start the midfielder

Speaking in his press conference yesterday, Alonso admitted the whole group were looking forward to having Caicedo back as they look to get a sputtering season back on track. Everyone is counting on this being a turning point.

Caicedo makes his teammates happier claims Alonso

“I think we are all happier when we see Moi on the pitch. Not just myself, but his teammates, they are happier,” Alonso admitted.

“He’s not just a great player. Everyone loves Moi because of how generous he is with his effort, how much he helps each of his team-mates, how important he is. Everyone is really happy to see him back.”

The question now is how many minutes he gets. Alonso described him as “ready to go,” but given the Ecuador star hasn’t started a Premier League game since last season, he will presumably need to build up his match fitness. We don’t expect to see him for more than an hour at most – but that should be more than enough to get the job done.

In other news…

Cole Palmer has signed a new Chelsea contract, David Ornstein revealed today in a report for the Athletic.

Like Caicedo, Palmer also spent the break recovering – and Alonso heartily backed his decision to pull out of England duty.