Chelsea's rocky start to the season could cast a long shadow over the futures of Malo Gusto and Jamie Gittens. Having contemplated exits during the summer transfer window, both players now find themselves precariously close to losing their places in Xabi Alonso's plans.
After winning their opening two matches of the campaign, the Blues have since suffered a narrow defeat to Arsenal (1-2), settled for a draw against Hull City (2-2), and faced a heavy loss at the hands of Brentford (0-3). Chelsea currently sits in 10th place in the Premier League and has not tasted victory in the league since August.
In this context, the upcoming weeks could be crucial for Gusto and Gittens, particularly as their combined transfer value sits at a hefty €98.7 million.
Malo Gusto risks losing his spot to a new signing
The French defender has logged 386 minutes across all competitions and has made three starts in five Premier League matches. However, much of his game time has come due to an injury to Marco Palestra.
Palestra, who was signed from Atalanta for nearly €60 million, impressed during pre-season and is expected to make his return to the pitch soon. This anticipation suggests that Palestra is set to become Chelsea's first-choice right-back.
Gusto, who attracted interest from Liverpool over the summer, missed out on a place in the France squad under Zinedine Zidane and used the international break to train with Alonso. He now needs to grab every opportunity in the next matches to convince the manager of his worthiness to remain a part of the setup.
Jamie Gittens struggles for game time
Gittens finds himself in a more challenging predicament. The Englishman has not left the bench in Chelsea's five Premier League outings and has yet to clock a single minute in the league.
His playing time has been limited to just 55 minutes in the League Cup, and in a recent match against Leeds (which ended 6-3), Alonso replaced him at half-time.
One of the main factors in Gittens' struggles has been the impressive form of Morgan Rogers, who has quickly established himself in the team since his summer transfer.
During the summer, Gittens attracted interest from Roma, who were discussing a potential swap involving Manu Kone. Nevertheless, the player opted to stay put in London.
Complicating matters further was an ankle injury that saw Gittens withdraw from the England U21 squad. His recovery timeline remains uncertain.
If the fortunes of both players don't improve, questions about their futures could resurface as January rolls around.
