World Cup 2026: Players to Watch

It is never a good idea to sign players off a great World Cup, but Chelsea will be keen to bolster their ranks with players who have been making heads turn even before the competition kicks off later today. Here are five players Chelsea fans [and SDs] should be keeping a close eye on.

Luka Vušković [Croatia]

Top clubs across Europe are always keen to roll out the red carpet for a unicorn centerback, and Tottenham’s Luka Vušković is missing only the horn on his forehead to confirm it. The 19-year-old was sent on loan to Hamburg from Tottenham, stepped into the center of Die Rothosen’s three man defence, and made it his own despite a 13th placed finish in the Bundesliga.

Born in Split, the 6’4 teenager excels at his imperiousness in the air [75% aerial win rate, 5.3 duels won/90], but is also strong and fast across the ground when engaging markers or when carrying into space. Add to that glimpses of nifty footwork that help him evade tricky situations, and six league goals that helped Hamburg stay just above the relegation playoffs, and you’ve got a bonafide superstar in the making.

Croatia’s golden generation, one that came ever so close to pulling off the shock of the millennium in 2018, is all but gone. Only two remain from the XI that started the WC final in 2018, Luka Modric, who still carries that hopes of a nation on his 40-year-old shoulders, and the last enduring Croatian name to emerge from Split - 37-year-old Ivan Perisic (who was already playing senior football in Ligue 2 before Vušković was even born. Should Croatia somehow upset the odds again, rest assured Vušković is likely to be at the heart of it all.

Joel Ordóñez [Ecuador]

La Masia, Cobham - there are some academies where you seldom go wrong taking your pick. Independiente Del Valle’s meteoric rise has seen them export some massive names - Moises Caicedo, Arsenal’s Piero Hincapié, PSG’s Willian Pacho and Kendry Páez (whose career has come to a screeching halt since breaking out as a wonderkid there.)

Joel is another former IDV graduate who has steadily impressed for Club Brugge, so much so that Liverpool have been eyeing up the 22-year-old as a potential Ibrahima Konate replacement. The Guayaquil-born CB’s best traits are his positioning and anticipation that see him make vital interventions inside the box; he also has some excellent raking diagonals and long passing that breaches the last line from deeper positions.

Ecuador have some excellent individuals in the defensive unit. Fulfilling their potential as a dark horse will hinge heavily on how that Caicedo-Hincapié-Ordóñez-Pacho nexus performs against more favoured opposition. A good tournament could see agent Caicedo become critical, and Chelsea could have two highly-rated CBs named Ordóñez in their squad.

Endrick

There is no shame in failing at Real Madrid, where many a footballing God has faltered. A loan to Lyon though seemed to lift everything - the terrifying weight of that Galactico shirt on teenaged shoulders, the crippling burden of expectations a football-worshipping nation that often taints euphoria with something darker.

Getting away from it all bought 12 G/A in 16 Ligue 1 games. There were sombreros, exquisite touches through a defender’s legs, shots exploding off both feet. Still only 19, and in many a Brazilian’s eyes, still in that short but extremely dark corridor between being an academy graduate and a first team star, of touches exchanged with Palmeiras and Brazil’s other dappled ray of green and gold sunshine, Estêvão. Ancelotti might not start the tournament with him up front, but he might just end with him there.

Left-field Picks

Patrik Schick [Czechia]

Never underestimate the value of a good old fashioned 9, and Xabi Alonso will himself tell you that when Schick chipped in with crucial goals in their unbeaten run. The poacher from Prague is an excellent battering ram CF up front, can finish with either foot and rampages into the box for headers, his mobility, hold up play and movement often create all sorts of issues for opposition backlines.

While Czechia are unlikely to uproot any trees this summer, Schick’s record of double-digit returns in 3 of the past 5 Bundesliga seasons [he scored 20+ in two and fell below 10 in two injury ravaged campaigns] offer heavy incentives for taking a close look. Having worked with Xabi Alonso in the past could also count in the 30-year-old’s favour. Giroud profile buy? Maybe.

Guéla Doué [Cote d’Ivoire]

His more illustrious sibling Désiré represents France and is a back-to-back UCL champion with PSG, but Guéla chose to represent the West African powerhouse. No love was lost despite Guéla popping up with a goal and assist to condemn Les Bleus to a 2-1 defeat in a warm up friendly leading up to WC. Their cousin, Yann Gboho, is also a very good footballer for Toulouse, only adding to the family’s glittering football credentials.

22-year-old Guéla is a fullback by trade but has played wingback and right centerback in both a back 3 and a back 4. Much like Désiré, he possesses a strong engine, the mental fortitude for industry and the tactical versatility Xabi Alonso likes in his backline. Malo Gusto’s indifferent form and Reece James’ injury issues and subsequent move to CB could offer up a move that should (severely unfairly for Strasbourg) be straightforward enough to pull off.

Honourable Mentions:

Bazoumana Toure, who is likely to come for 20 odd minutes and cause utter chaos on the left wing. With a recorded top speed of 36 km/hr and 9 assists in his first Bundesliga season, some fullback’s hamstrings are going to smell like burnt rubber.

Ayyoub Bouaddi, another Moroccan star in the making who has previously been linked with Chelsea. At 18, he is already showing remarkable assurance in Lille’s engine room and will be hoping to do the same for his nation on his World Cup debut.

Ousmane Diomande, who has been a (near) ever-present for Sporting despite some ups and downs in his personal development. For the larger part though he has been a commanding presence in the middle of Sporting’s back 3, and his physicality coupled with intelligent defensive acumen would make him a very interesting contender for the CCB slot should Alonso look to move Levi Colwill to RCB. The counter-argument being, why not move for a PL proven CCB like Maxence Lacroix, with Sporting likely to charge a heavy fee for their 22-year-old defensive lynchpin?