{"id":4327,"date":"2026-09-12T19:16:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T19:16:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/footballars.xyz\/?p=4327"},"modified":"2026-09-12T19:16:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T19:16:17","slug":"calum-mcfarlane-and-wesley-fofana-actually-ended-up-costing-chelsea-the-signing-of-granit-xhaka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/footballars.xyz\/?p=4327","title":{"rendered":"Calum McFarlane and Wesley Fofana actually ended up costing Chelsea the signing of Granit Xhaka"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Xabi Alonso wanted Chelsea to sign Granit Xhaka when he arrived at the club this summer, but the Blues\u2019 woeful end to the 2025\/26 season turned out to cost them that opportunity.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alonso<\/a> quickly recognised that the Chelsea squad needed an injection of experience, and he ended up getting this in the form of Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson.<\/p>\n

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His first target was Xhaka though after their successful time together at Bayer Leverkusen, however the midfielder believed the project was more exciting at Sunderland<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"Sunderland<\/div>
Photo by Stu Forster\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Calum McFarlane and Wesley Fofana cost Chelsea the signing of Granit Xhaka<\/h2>\n

This was because of them playing in Europe this season, an achievement they earned on the final day of the season with a 2-1 victory over Chelsea.<\/p>\n

The winner of that game was going to reach the Europa League, however the Blues were in the midst of a nightmare run of form with Calum McFarlane<\/a> at the helm.<\/p>\n

Not long after losing the FA Cup final, the interim boss was not able to secure any form of European football either, and his short stint in charge is not looked back at fondly.<\/p>\n

Wesley Fofana<\/a> also needs to take a large amount of responsibility for that result too. He picked up his second red card of the Premier League season.<\/p>\n

The Blues tried to mount a fightback after going 2-0 down when Cole Palmer scored, however the red card completely killed their chances of pulling off a result.<\/p>\n

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\"Sunderland<\/div>
Photo by George Wood\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Xhaka made it clear that he wanted to play in Europe this season, and that result saw Sunderland earn that right, and ultimately make his mind up on where he wanted to play this season.<\/p>\n

The Switzerland international has proven over the last 12 months that he is more than capable of putting in strong performances in the Premier League, and Chelsea\u2019s current midfield woes are crying out for someone like him.<\/p>\n

Moises Caicedo remains injured<\/a>, and the Blues did not replace Enzo Fernandez on deadline day. <\/p>\n

This has left the likes of Reece James and Malo Gusto featuring in midfield, with at least one of them expected to start against Hull City today.<\/p>\n

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