Chelsea lost Reece James for three months to injury today – and Xabi Alonso was asked if he would sign any replacements.

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The news that Reece James has had knee surgery and will be out for 3 months meant questions for Xabi Alonso today about whether he felt he had enough options in midfield to get him through until the captain returns in January.

Some have worried that the current selection won’t be enough, and a lot is now resting on Moises Caicedo to stay fit.

Alonso plays down transfer chances

“We have until the next break four more Premier League games, a cup game as well, so I think that we will be able to manage well with the players that we have, with the options that they have been playing, other ones that are available, so we feel good,” Alonso explained.

Of course he’s speaking about the short term – so journalists asked for more detail on whether Alonso thought it would affect January plans too:

“No, I don’t think [we expect to sign another midfielder] because we expect for him to be back by then, some weeks before, so let’s see, it’s not exact the timeline with him so it doesn’t affect [our plans].”

We would still be surprised if Chelsea didn’t make some attempt to sign someone, but certainly they don’t seem to be panicking about their options as much as some fans.

In other news…

Joao Pedro is thriving as Chelsea’s number 9 – but why was he originally number 20?

Emmanuel Emegha is out injured once again – he’s been in the squad once and made zero appearances for Chelsea this season.