TA: How will Chelsea fill the void left by João Pedro's injury?

According to The Athletic, after João Pedro suffered an injury, anyone concerned about Chelsea would ask the obvious question: "What now?"

Two months into the season, Chelsea has already faced numerous injury setbacks. But João Pedro's absence—even if only for a few weeks—could be the heaviest blow yet; indeed, even more significant than the loss of captain Reece James, who is confirmed to be out until the new year with a knee injury. This underscores how important and in-form the Brazilian international is right now.

With five goals and three assists in six league starts, such output is extremely difficult to replace. "He is a key player," manager Alonso told reporters. "We will miss him, but we have to be ready to cope with this injury, stay competitive, and try to win with the players we have. That's the reality."

In their first match without their star forward, Chelsea's performance was disappointing: a home loss to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, only their second home defeat to this opponent in 36 years. Alonso's decision to move Morgan Rogers from his usual left-sided role to a more central position proved ineffective. Tottenham dominated possession for long periods, limiting the England international's touches and thus his impact.

Having tried it once, you might assume Alonso would still consider playing Rogers in that position in the future. But what other options are there?

Logically, Danny Welbeck would be the first option to fill in. However, he did not start on Saturday. More perplexingly, Alonso only brought him on in the 88th minute, with Chelsea 0-2 down. Was Wednesday's Carabao Cup fourth-round away tie against Liverpool a factor? Did Alonso want to save the veteran for the Anfield clash?

If that were the consideration, it would be surprising—last season, Welbeck played 37 out of 38 league games for Brighton & Hove Albion (26 starts, 11 as a substitute). He may be 35, but his 13 Premier League goals in the 2024-25 season were his best career output. He has proven that he can still play regularly and contribute at this age, which was one reason Chelsea signed him.

Welbeck and João Pedro are different types of players: he is not as adept at creative attacking play—few in football are. His link-up play with regular number 10s Cole Palmer and Rogers would not be as intricate or precise. But as Welbeck has shown in both of Chelsea's Carabao Cup victories this season, he knows how to get into the box—where a striker should be to seize opportunities.

He was there when Chelsea struggled against Luton Town in the second round, heading in Gusto's cross from six yards out to open the scoring. In the thrilling 6-3 victory over Leeds United, the veteran also displayed excellent central striker play: first, converting Rogers' clever cut-back, then quickly reacting to tap in Valentín Barco's deflected shot.

Welbeck joined in early August, and Alonso praised his impact later that month. "He has many qualities," the Chelsea manager said. "As a player, you can see how intelligent he is, his link-up play is very good. Outside the box, he can combine well, and inside the box, his positioning is excellent. In training, he has a strong positive influence on other players. He trains very hard and is raising the standards of the whole team."

While João Pedro's form is the main reason, Welbeck has only played 96 minutes in the Premier League this season. His sole start in six appearances—the 0-3 loss to Brentford last month, when João Pedro was also out with a knee injury—was rather unremarkable.

However, he will certainly get more consistent playing time now, aiming to rediscover the rhythm he had at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Seeing Nicolas Jackson flourish at Aston Villa, some fans inevitably feel dissatisfied. He was sold in August for up to £65 million. Given that Chelsea and Jackson himself were already prepared for a permanent separation when he was on loan at Bayern Munich the previous year, the striker's departure should not have come as a surprise.

But Chelsea believes they have found Jackson's replacement—Emmanuel Emegha.

The Dutch international signed a buyout agreement with Strasbourg in September 2024 and officially completed his transfer to Stamford Bridge this summer for an undisclosed fee. The problem is that injuries have prevented him from playing so far.

In July, Emegha scored in closed-door friendlies against Crawley Town and Bromley. But he sustained a hamstring injury in the match against the latter, a significant setback that ruled him out of the preseason tour of Australia and Southeast Asia. His closest approach to playing since then was being named on the bench against Luton Town in August, which remains his only appearance in a matchday squad.

Emegha has since suffered several relapses, but Alonso said last week that the 23-year-old is getting closer to a return.

Chelsea signed him because they believed he had the potential to be a better striker than Jackson. However, two hamstring injuries limited him to just four Ligue 1 starts in his final season at Strasbourg. Emegha's most recent start was six months ago, in the first leg of the Europa Conference League semi-final against Rayo Vallecano, which Strasbourg lost 0-1. His last goal was on April 16, in a 4-0 quarter-final victory over Mainz 05 in the same competition.

Missing more than a year of competitive action will undoubtedly require time to regain fitness and form. But Alonso has no doubt that Emegha, who could get playing time at Anfield, will become an important asset once he settles in.

Alonso hinted that the Dutch forward possesses "special qualities." He told reporters: "When he's fit, he's very special: 1.95 meters (6 feet 5 inches) tall, quick, attacks space in behind, a real threat. We look forward to him returning because he can help the team. When he's in form, defenders will have a very hard time."

There are limited young strikers to call upon from the academy.

Marc Guiu, who was expected to fill this role in the 2025-26 season, was sold to RB Leipzig in the previous transfer window. Kazakhstan international Dastan Satpayev is on a season-long loan at Burnley, while Shim Mheuka is on loan at Celtic FC. 18-year-old Chizaram Ezenwata is in excellent form across all youth levels, with 7 goals and 3 assists in 10 games, and has recently been rewarded with a Chelsea contract extension until 2029, but clearly, expecting him to step up now is too much to ask.

Another realistic option is Pedro Neto. Former manager Enzo Maresca played him as a central striker several times, most notably in last year's 3-0 Champions League victory over Barcelona. Neto spoke in 2025 about his interest in the position: "I don't have to track back as much and have more energy to run forward. I also have freedom to play in that position and like receiving the ball at my feet."

But Alonso trusts Neto greatly on the right wing, and moving him centrally would mean finding a replacement for the right side. It's too early to say for sure, but he seems to lack confidence in his other wingers—Estêvão, Geovany Quenda, and Jamie Gittens, who is recovering from an ankle injury. Wing-back Malo Gusto, who has just returned from a quadriceps injury, might be a stronger option on the right flank.

Clearly, the absence of a player of João Pedro's caliber will inevitably cause a loss in output. But Alonso must make the most of the available alternatives, otherwise Chelsea will pay an even greater price for his absence.