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Though the Blues will still be smarting from their Carabao Cup exit to Liverpool, it's one less set of fixtures for what is, once again, an emerging squad to worry about.
Chelsea still need continuity
Indeed, one could conclude that Chelsea's current issues are related to the churn of players and managers over and above anything else.
Ever since Clearlake Capital took over the club, the one thing that the West Londoners have lacked is continuity, and it stands to reason that having to keep 'starting again' is going to have an effect on results and performances.
Alonso has proven himself to be a manager of some standing, and to be just one win away from completing an unbeaten treble-winning season with Bayer Leverkusen is an incredible achievement.
Though the Spaniard would be the first to admit that things didn't go according to plan at Real Madrid, there were certain mitigating circumstances which ultimately ended with the manager being the fall guy.
17 goals scored, 15 conceded
In the Premier League so far this season, Chelsea have scored 17 goals, the third most in the division, but conceded 15, also the third most in the top flight.
Four wins and three defeats see the club in a reasonably healthy fifth place, though they're eight points off leaders Man City, and eight points ahead of bottom-of-the-table Sunderland.
Until there is some sort of stability, this topsy-turvy existence is likely to continue, but the one area where Alonso can alter the direction of travel is with his signings.
Having acquired the likes of Morgan Rogers, Jordan Henderson and Emi Martinez, et al., Alonso is certainly making his mark, and the one thing that the board must understand is that it will take time for the manager's selections to gel as a unit.
Could Fermin be a welcome addition?
Hiring and firing the man in the dugout because results and performance standards won't likely change immediately is, very simply, counterproductive and just plain bad practice.
Alonso needs to be afforded the courtesy of being left alone to be able to build the solid foundation that the club needs in order to move forward and deliver the silverware that everyone connected with Chelsea desires.
Another player who is reportedly interesting the Spaniard is his countryman, Fermin Lopez.
The 23-year-old missed out on the World Cup with Spain after an ill-timed injury forced him to withdraw from the tournament right before it took place.
Barcelona's midfield overbooking
He's used that disappointment to fuel his performances with Barcelona, and just 10 league games into the 26/27 campaign, he's already scored four goals and provided three assists from midfield.
A goal and an assist in three Champions League matches have only added to his importance under Hansi Flick.
Fermin is a real workhorse with an eye for goal, and there certainly aren't too many midfielders like him at present; however, the Catalans are very well stocked in that area of the pitch, and given their ongoing financial problems, a decent enough offer could well tempt Barcelona to the negotiating table.
The player has already turned down a move to Stamford Bridge once, but with Frenkie De Jong now fit again, and all of Marc Bernal, Dani Olmo, Pedri, Gavi and Rodri needing to be accommodated, there's a school of thought that Fermin would undoubtedly get more minutes in West London than he would at Camp Nou.
Superb output
That's precisely because of his output, which, since the start of the 2025/26 campaign, has seen him contest 494 one-on-ones (only Lamine Yamal has contested more), winning 228 of them.
His winning back of possession on 149 separate occasions places him in the top seven for this metric, whilst his 50 aerial duels contested are only bettered by Barca's defenders.
Eric Garcia is the one player to have attempted more than Fermin's 90 tackles, and he is also one of four (Pedri, Pau Cubarsi and Lamine are the other three players) to better the Spaniard's winning back of possession 86 times in the midfield third of the pitch.
72 chances created is one of the best returns in the Barcelona squad, and his pass completion rate of 86.85% adds another string to his bow.
The relentless nature with which he pursues his direct opponent when not in possession is a sight to behold, for here is a player who truly earns his remuneration at the end of each week.
Chelsea fans will have no worries whatsoever that Fermin will give everything and more for their shirt; the only question mark is whether Alonso can persuade him that his future is in West London.
Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high-profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.
