Chelsea's incredible XI that didn't even make the squad in 3-2 win over Fulham

Chelsea's squad is absolutely loaded with talent - so much so that Xabi Alonso left an entire starting XI of first team players out of his matchday squad against Fulham

Chelsea's starting XI may not be the strongest in the world, but when it comes to squad depth, they have few rivals. The Blues began the Xabi Alonso era with a 3-2 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Monday, with goals from Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer securing three points they largely deserved.

The result should perhaps come as little surprise given the quality at Alonso's disposal. But just as striking was the talent that did not make it on to the pitch.

Indeed, it would have been possible to field an entire starting XI of Chelsea first team players who were left out of the matchday squad - and one worth almost £400million.

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In goal, we have Gabriel Slonina.

The American was one of the first players to arrive during the BlueCo era, joining from Chicago Fire in 2022. However, he is yet to make a first-team appearance for the Blues and, having seemingly slipped behind Mike Penders and Teddy Sharman-Lowe in the goalkeeping pecking order, his future at Stamford Bridge looks uncertain.

The defence features Marco Palestra, Wesley Fofana, Mamadou Sarr and Aaron Anselmino.

Summer signing Palestra picked up a knock in the build-up to the Fulham game. Although the injury is not thought to be serious, Chelsea opted not to risk the Italian.

Fofana, meanwhile, was suspended after being sent off in Chelsea's final Premier League game of the 2025/26 season. Sarr was omitted from the squad as he closes in on a loan move to Real Sociedad, while Anselmino was simply not selected.

The midfield includes two significant names in Moises Caicedo and Jordan Henderson.

Like Palestra, Caicedo picked up a minor injury last week and was left out as a precaution. The Ecuador international is expected to be fit for Chelsea's Premier League meeting with Brighton this weekend, although he is likely to miss Thursday's EFL Cup tie against Luton.

Discussing the knocks suffered by Caicedo and Palestra, Alonso said: "We don't want to take risks. They were not ready to play tonight. We go week-by-week, but they were not ready for tonight."

Henderson, meanwhile, is still out injured after fracturing his arm while on international duty with England at the 2026 World Cup. The 36-year-old isn't expected to return until September at the earliest.

Up front, Chelsea left out Mykhailo Mudryk, Emmanuel Emegha, Nicolas Jackson and Liam Delap.

Three of the four appear to have been omitted amid uncertainty over their futures, with Emegha the only one absent because of injury. The Dutch striker, who joined from Strasbourg this summer, missed Chelsea's pre-season tour after suffering a hamstring injury in July. He is, however, expected to feature prominently in Alonso's plans this season.

Mudryk, meanwhile, is expected to leave on loan before the transfer window closes, with Chelsea keen for the Ukraine international to regain his match sharpness after his doping ban was lifted. Delap is reportedly in advanced talks over a move to Nottingham Forest, while Jackson has been linked with Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid.

All told, those 11 players cost Chelsea a combined £392m in transfer fees - a striking illustration of the depth available to Alonso.

That depth is unlikely to remain quite so impressive for long, with Chelsea expected to sanction several departures before the transfer window closes. Even so, Alonso will still be left with a seriously stacked squad.