{"id":1467378,"date":"2026-07-09T16:43:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T15:43:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1467378"},"modified":"2026-07-09T16:53:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T15:53:45","slug":"tactical-analysis-chelsea-marco-palestra-new-signing","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-chelsea-marco-palestra-new-signing\/","title":{"rendered":"Chelsea analysis: Why Marco Palestra is Xabi Alonso&#8217;s perfect first signing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>With Xabi Alonso arriving at Cobham for his first day in charge at Chelsea, it&#8217;s only right we take a look at his first signing in detail.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chelsea signed Marco Palestra for a fee of around \u00a347m from Atalanta, after impressing on loan last season with Cagliari in Italy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 21-year-old made 37 appearances last season, scoring once and providing four assists, totalling 3,085 minutes in Serie A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Palestra impressed after just one full season at senior level, with Inter Milan fighting for his signature before Chelsea swooped in to complete the deal on Alonso&#8217;s request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So why was the right-back in high demand and how will he help Alonso as he looks to transform this Chelsea team next season?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>In this article, we&#8217;ll cover<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-two-footed-carrier\" data-level=\"2\">Two-footed carrier<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-delivery-and-passing\" data-level=\"2\">Delivery and passing<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-defensive-profile\" data-level=\"2\">Defensive profile<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-tactical-fit\" data-level=\"2\">Tactical fit<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-two-footed-carrier\">Two-footed carrier<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps his standout trait, Palestra is a powerful carrier of the ball, using his frame to shield against pressure and absorbing contact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He is equally comfortable on both feet when carrying, transferring the ball seamlessly during carries to make it difficult for defenders to pinch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This quality is rare, especially for a full-back, making him effective in high and wide areas, as he can go either way to beat his man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While we often consider wingers the players getting into 1v1 isolations out wide, in the modern game, full-backs providing width can find themselves in plenty of these situations too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Palestra&#8217;s ability on both feet is also useful in deeper more nominal full-back zones, as he is extremely press resistant due to his comfortability on the ball and ability to shield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is an effective trait to utilise against man to man pressing teams, as Palestra&#8217;s carrying from deep inside the pitch can break those pressing schemes.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2>Betfred - Get \u00a350 in free bets when you bet \u00a310 + Place a \u00a310 EPL Bet Builder to get an extra \u00a310 Free Bet<\/h2>\r\n<ol>\r\n<li>Sign up at Betfred using <strong><a href=\"\/en\/go\/betfred?q=gb-all-rev-wof-s-spo\">this link<\/a><\/strong> or clicking the image below.<\/li>\r\n<li>Deposit a minimum of \u00a310 and place a bet of \u00a310+ on Sports<\/li>\r\n<li><span id=\"0\">Receive \u00a350 in Free Bets <\/span><span id=\"1\">within 10 hours of bet settlement<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p><a href=\"\/en\/go\/betfred?q=gb-all-rev-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1395281 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220-1024x498.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"498\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220-1024x498.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220-300x146.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220-768x373.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220-1536x747.png 1536w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220-400x195.png 400w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220-411x200.png 411w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220-123x60.png 123w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220-150x73.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220-40x19.png 40w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220.png 1682w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>New customers only. Register, deposit with Debit Card, and place first bet \u00a310+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x \u00a310 in Sports Free Bets &amp; 2 x \u00a310 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility &amp; payment exclusions apply. Full T&amp;Cs apply.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-delivery-and-passing\">Delivery and passing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Playing as a wingback and full-back last season, Palestra naturally finds himself in positions to deliver the ball into the box pretty often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His variety of crossing is good, having the ability to stand them up towards the back post, cut backs across the box and even cut back on his weaker left foot to deliver inswingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Palestra is a bit of a cutback machine, scanning well before delivering the ball, looking to pick out the correct space for his teammates to attack.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class='vccm vccm-compare'data-compare=\"FX46YN9JNDz8mWmkz06N_\" data-show-sponsor=\"false\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The fact Palestra is very good with both feet means he can do the same from both flanks, playing left-back\/left wingback and being able to replicate the crossing variety there too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having that comfortability on both feet is also important with his progressive passing, allowing Palestra to find inside diagonal passing angles to progress play and initiate combination play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-defensive-profile\">Defensive profile<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Considering Palestra is the Serie A defender of the year from last season, it&#8217;s only right to share some details on his defensive work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having a tall and strong frame with a powerful long stride, Palestra&#8217;s defensive work is often looking to cater towards those strengths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This includes good usage of the arms to unsettle the opponent, but slightly more space between himself and the opponent in his preparation for a 1v1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Quick to close space, but does leave that extra yard compared to other defenders who want to get tighter to the opponent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When the opponent does dribble toward Palestra and uses faints and jinks to try and come inside, Palestra can bite too easily, looking to use his long limbs to regain possession quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Good positioning for 1v1 duels when taking up a low and side on position, but isn&#8217;t consistent with his footwork, can differ between good active feet and poor planted feet, on his heels and easier to beat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Overall, Palestra has a lot of good defensive qualities, raw athletic capacity and assets in his favour, just needs to come together now with further coaching and development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tactical-fit\">Tactical fit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to how Palestra will work in Alonso&#8217;s Chelsea side, it is clear that his versatility is a big factor in the signing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Palestra can play as a wingback on both sides, which would suit Alonso&#8217;s Bayer Leverkusen system, setting up in a 3-4-3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the inside forwards\/number 10s rotating centrally with the centre-forward, the wingbacks job is to provide width, make runs in beyond and stretch the pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Palestra has the engine to do this, repeatedly making runs in behind and complimenting other attackers in the squad who prefer receiving the ball to feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232617\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-1024x576.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1467401\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232617\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232617\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232617\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232617\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232617\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-2048x1152.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232617\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-400x225.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232617\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-356x200.jpeg 356w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232617\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-107x60.jpeg 107w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232617\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-150x84.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232617\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-132x74.jpeg 132w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jlatacticsboard.com\/app\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/jlatacticsboard.com\/app\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Image via JLA Tactics Board<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Alonso liked his wingbacks arriving in behind the opposition defensive line, before delivering first time\/quick balls into the box for the oncoming attackers to finish attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If play is down the opposite side, the far side wingback can then attack the back post and look to get on the scoresheet themselves, which looks to be an untapped skill set for Palestra so far in his career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having the ability to absorb pressure with his frame, attacking the box is a skill he could transfer this to, adding box presence from crosses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232611\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-1-1024x576.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1467400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232611\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-1-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232611\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-1-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232611\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-1-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232611\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-1-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232611\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-1-2048x1152.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232611\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-1-400x225.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232611\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-1-356x200.jpeg 356w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232611\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-1-107x60.jpeg 107w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232611\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-1-150x84.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08232611\/Pitchshot-Chelsea-1-132x74.jpeg 132w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jlatacticsboard.com\/app\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/jlatacticsboard.com\/app\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Image via JLA Tactics Board<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As stated, Palestra can play as a wingback on either side, this also applies to playing as a full-back on either side in a back four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This gives Alonso plenty of tactical flexibility to use Palestra as a width holder\/overlapping full-back on either side, allowing the winger to then drift inside and play in the pocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With plenty of teams now shifting into 3-2-5 shapes on the ball, including Alonso when at Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid, full-backs are key to shifting between different shapes and still arriving in the desired 3-2-5 on the ball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Palestra makes a lot of a sense as Alonso&#8217;s first signing, giving tactical flexibility, balance of skill sets in attack and energy as he looks to change the culture at Chelsea and create a team nobody wants to face.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/premier-league\/\"><strong>Premier League predictions &amp; tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/outright-markets\/premier-league-title-odds\/\"><strong>Premier League outright odds <\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With Xabi Alonso arriving at Cobham for his first day in charge at Chelsea, it&#8217;s only right we take a look at his first signing in detail. Chelsea signed Marco Palestra for a fee of around \u00a347m from Atalanta, after impressing on loan last season with Cagliari in Italy. The 21-year-old made 37 appearances last&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3107,"featured_media":1467379,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1467378","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Chelsea analysis: Why Marco Palestra is Xabi Alonso&#039;s perfect first signing | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-chelsea-marco-palestra-new-signing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chelsea analysis: Why Marco Palestra is Xabi Alonso&#039;s perfect first signing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With Xabi Alonso arriving at Cobham for his first day in charge at Chelsea, it&#8217;s only right we take a look at his first signing in detail. Chelsea signed Marco Palestra for a fee of around \u00a347m from Atalanta, after impressing on loan last season with Cagliari in Italy. The 21-year-old made 37 appearances last...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-chelsea-marco-palestra-new-signing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Squawka | EN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-09T15:53:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08192510\/MarcoPalestra210226_ID3ETX0TE-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@squawka\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-chelsea-marco-palestra-new-signing\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-chelsea-marco-palestra-new-signing\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Connor Holden\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/445e73decc43605cbf2878fdb0a67bcf\"},\"headline\":\"Chelsea analysis: Why Marco Palestra is Xabi Alonso&#8217;s perfect first signing\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-09T15:43:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-09T15:53:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-chelsea-marco-palestra-new-signing\/\"},\"wordCount\":1011,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-chelsea-marco-palestra-new-signing\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08192510\/MarcoPalestra210226_ID3ETX0TE-scaled.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"accessibilityFeature\":[\"tableOfContents\"]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-chelsea-marco-palestra-new-signing\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-chelsea-marco-palestra-new-signing\/\",\"name\":\"Chelsea analysis: Why Marco Palestra is Xabi Alonso's perfect first signing | Squawka | EN\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-chelsea-marco-palestra-new-signing\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-chelsea-marco-palestra-new-signing\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08192510\/MarcoPalestra210226_ID3ETX0TE-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-09T15:43:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-09T15:53:45+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-chelsea-marco-palestra-new-signing\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-chelsea-marco-palestra-new-signing\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-chelsea-marco-palestra-new-signing\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08192510\/MarcoPalestra210226_ID3ETX0TE-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/08192510\/MarcoPalestra210226_ID3ETX0TE-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"3ETX0TE Cagliari's Marco Palestra in action during the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari Calcio and SS Lazio at the Unipol Domus in Cagliari, Sardinia - Saturday 21st February 2026. 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Chelsea signed Marco Palestra for a fee of around \u00a347m from Atalanta, after impressing on loan last season with Cagliari in Italy. 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