Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso is relishing the opportunity to use the ‘very special’ Emmanuel Emegha once the striker has recovered from injury.

Emegha was signed by Chelsea for £21million last year, spending the 2025-26 season on loan at Strasbourg where he scored eight goals in 18 appearances.

The Netherlands international scored in pre-season games against Crawley and Bromley but a hamstring injury ruled him out of the pre-season action.

While he was fit enough to take a spot on the bench in the Carabao Cup victory over Luton Town in August, his troublesome hamstring injury has prevented him from playing a single minute of action this season.

Emegha was targeted for a loan move in the final weeks of the summer transfer window with Alonso blocking a move for the Dutchman.

A minor issue suffered in training this week has further delayed his debut ahead of the clash with Everton this afternoon but Alonso has made it clear how highly he rates the 23-year-old.

‘He’s not [ready] yet; he felt something yesterday, little thing, he’s going to be training next week, but still not 100 per cent fit to be playing in the game,’ said Alonso.

‘When he’s fit, he’s very special because he’s 1.95 metres, he’s quick, he attacks the space, he’s a threat, so he needs to be fully fit.

‘At this moment he’s had little things and unfortunately he’s not been available but we are looking forward to when he feels good and when he can help the team.

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‘But it’s going to be difficult for the defenders when he’s in good shape.’

Emegha missed large portions of last season through injury with a hamstring problem ruling him out for nine games.

A muscle tear saw him miss four months of action from December to April, missing 20 games in total, while a dead leg sidelined him for the remaining four games of the season.