Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen travelled all the way from England to Australia, only to return home after three days in Sydney because he is in line to leave the club, most likely for BlueCo sister side Strasbourg.
Liam Delap has not been sent home himself, though the striker could potentially be sold this summer to make way for Danny Welbeck, 35. Nottingham Forest are among Delap’s admirers, though the 23-year-old’s inclusion in Xabi Alonso’s starting lineup in the 6-4 win over Western Sydney Wanderers suggested no move is imminent.
If this was a chance for Delap to convince Alonso that he should seek to veto any possible switch which may crop up, he did not take it. The £30million signing from Ipswich last summer was upstaged by Chelsea’s other attackers in this friendly, and not least the man who replaced him in Joao Pedro.
Delap took his seat in the dugout after an hour, and the difference between him leading the line and Joao Pedro was stark. The 24-year-old Brazilian just looked a level above.
In the 66th minute, he produced a sublime assist for Jamie Gittens after squirming his way into the box. In the 80th, he scored his first goal. In the 85th, he scored his second. In the 89th, he confirmed his hat-trick.
It is no wonder Chelsea let it known early on in this summer that Joao Pedro is considered untouchable. Of course Barcelona like him. Every club in Europe should consider him an improvement on what they already have. That is only natural. But he is going nowhere – whereas Delap might be.
Teen dreams
Two 17-year-olds in Ryan Kavuma-McQueen and Dastan Satpayev combined for the first of Chelsea’s six goals here.
It involved a lovely turn and through-ball from Kavuma-McQueen for Satpayev, whose finish was clinical after breaking behind.
Satpayev is technically not a Chelsea player until he turns 18 next month, but he was involved here as a ‘trialist’, with permission from his club FC Kairat in Kazakhstan and authorisation from his parents.
Reggie Walsh, 17, impressed at No 10 as he exchanged a one-two with Dario Essugo for Chelsea’s second goal. Landon Emenalo, 18, was flying down the flank from left back also.
This was a good opportunity for the kids, and the best of the bunch, in my opinion, was Reggie Watson. Still only 16 and the son of Ben, Watson was a physical force in midfield.
When Alonso made nine substitutes after an hour, he was the only starter who remained on the pitch, and it is easy to see why Chelsea are so excited by this teenager.
Gittens gets back on the bike
Gittens had a hard 2025-26. His season was essentially a write-off from January when he picked up a hamstring problem.
Yet he has now scored in three successive friendlies under Alonso – in their behind-closed-doors wins over Crawley and Bromley back in London and here against Western Sydney Wanderers.
We could see the confidence coursing through the left winger. Hopefully for him and Chelsea, this 21-year-old Englishman can remain healthy and enjoy a happier campaign.
Wanderers offer stern test
Wanderers finished bottom of the 2025–26 A-League table, so they were not expected to pose many problems to Chelsea, even with so many youngsters involved.
Yet it was possibly helpful for Alonso that the Australian side pressed high throughout. That tested Chelsea’s defenders, and their centre-back pairing of Tosin Adarabioyo, 28, and Josh Acheampong, 20, rarely looked comfortable in possession. Too many passes went straight to the feet of their opponents, who found scoring rather straightforward.
Acheampong was beaten too easily when Wanderers scored their second goal, for example. Aydan Hammond skinned the young central defender before stroking the ball beyond Teddy Sherman-Lowe in goal.
Lots to work on, Austin
Chelsea could do with Austin MacPhee arriving from Aston Villa to become their new set-piece specialist sooner rather than later. Wanderers appeared a threat from such scenarios, scoring at one corner which was flicked on from the front and nodded in by Anthony Pantazopoulos at the back.
