Chelsea defender could be out until 2027 with a grade three hamstring tear, despite Xabi Alonso hinting at a much quicker return

Maxence Lacroix may be facing months out rather than weeks, which would leave Chelsea without a key defender for the rest of 2026.

The France international came off with a hamstring problem towards the end of the first half of the Carabao Cup defeat on penalties at Liverpool on Wednesday night.

Xabi Alonso suggested at his press conference on Friday that the former Crystal Palace centre-back could be back after the November international break. Sports broadcaster Ben Jacobs has since painted a far gloomier picture.

How long is Maxence Lacroix out for?

Nobody has put an official date on it. A source told Jacobs that Lacroix has sustained a grade three hamstring tear, and that Chelsea’s medical staff believe he could be sidelined until 2027.

The club have yet to give a definitive timescale. So there is now a clear gap between what Alonso said in public and what is being suggested behind the scenes, and only the next few weeks will show which is closer to the truth.

What Maxence Lacroix’s injury does to Chelsea’s defence

On paper, Alonso has numbers. Josh Acheampong, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill and Jorrel Hato can all play in the middle. But Lacroix was signed specifically for his physicality and height, and nobody else in that group offers quite the same thing. He has made 13 starts and two substitute appearances for club and country this season.

One option is to move Acheampong inside next to Colwill and bring in Marco Palestra at full-back, although Alonso may not want to shift Acheampong from a position where he has flourished in 2026-27.

Fofana is the other route, and that comes with doubts of its own. His decision-making and individual errors have cost Chelsea since the start of last season, and it was his missed kick that ended the shootout at Anfield.

Aaron Anselmino will not ride to the rescue either, with Alonso confirming on Friday that he remains out of contention for the foreseeable future.

Is Maxence Lacroix’s injury why Chelsea are shopping for a defender?

The timing certainly fits. Chelsea have been lining up a £37.7m Como centre-back Alonso knows from Real Madrid, and a long absence for Lacroix would make January business at the back feel far more urgent.

It starts at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with Michael Carrick’s Manchester United visiting for the 12.30pm kick-off. We already had a new centre-back pairing in our Chelsea predicted lineup for that one.

Verdict: Chelsea should plan as if Lacroix is gone until January

Managers are rarely keen to hand out bad injury news the day before a big game, so we would not read too much into Alonso’s optimism. A grade three tear, if that is what this is, would be a serious problem. The sensible move for Chelsea is to assume the worst, work out the Acheampong and Colwill question now, and get on with the search for another big centre-back before the window opens.