Chelsea

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Having seen Xabi Alonso as a player and known him from his Liverpool days, you expect him to come across well.

He spoke confidently, appeared friendly and gave the impression there is still a lot left unsaid.

The Spaniard was asked difficult questions about the futures of Enzo Fernandez, Alejandro Garnacho and Nicolas Jackson, but provided clear answers. He offered full clarity on the situations involving the latter two and, while he could not reveal how his conversation with Fernandez went, he made it clear he wanted him to stay at Chelsea.

It is also worth mentioning that Alonso is still finding his feet back in England. He has spoken about being excited to live in London, but he has been away from the country since his Liverpool days.

Since then, he has spent more than a decade in San Sebastian, Leverkusen and Madrid, only arriving on Wednesday with little time on the training pitch.

That is why it feels as though there is more to come from Alonso before we fully understand his vision, which players he favours and whether he can stabilise what has been a helter-skelter ride for Chelsea under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.

It is impossible to say how it will unfold, but the likeable Alonso passed his first grilling without any hiccups.

Millie Sian
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso has been speaking to the media for the first time since his appointment.

Here are the key lines from Monday's news conference:

• The Spaniard sees Chelsea as having "great potential" and a "very strong base". He is looking for the club to "be competitive on the pitch, win games and enjoy the process" under his leadership.

• When asked what he believes the difference between a manager and a head coach is, he explained: "It means that I'm working together with the sporting directors to make the right decisions on a daily basis. We are aligned. We have set our priorities. We know what we want to do."

• Alonso highlighted that the role is "a challenge" because the Premier League is the "most competitive league in the world right now", but he feels "really honoured, privileged and ready for it all".

• On what he wants to achieve in his first season at Stamford Bridge: "The goal is to reach Europe next season, for sure, but to reach that goal we need to do many things right. Part of the process will be finding out how we want to play, how we want to see ourselves and how we want to approach each game - that's my job."

• He continued: "Time will tell, but we are ambitious. We obviously want to be there but, in order to be ambitious, we need to have a shared energy and hunger to want to have success."

• Alonso already feels his players "want to have a good season", are "really keen" on his vision and are bringing "good energy and excitement" just four days into their pre-season preparations.

• On the characteristics he is looking for his players to show: "They need to have the hunger. They need to have the passion for the game. They need to want to improve. We all need to be really determined in the smaller details and really strong in our basic principles of how we want to play."

• Alonso is hoping to showcase an "exciting and brave" brand of football, but he recognises there will need to be "a good mentality" in his squad to achieve that ambition.

• He added: "We need to build a strong mentality and culture within the club. I'm not going to say what will happen in May because it is too early, but I'm confident and optimistic that we will have a great season."

• Cole Palmer is "a special talent and a special player" who has come into pre-season in "a good mood with a mindset to have a great season". He confirmed the England international, who missed out on the World Cup squad this summer, will be a "key player" in Chelsea's attack.

• There has been interest in 22-year-old Alejandro Garnacho from another club. However, right now it is a case of seeing how the situation develops. "Hopefully it ends in the best possible way for all parties," Alonso said.

• In contrast, Nicolas Jackson will be joining the squad for their pre-season tour in Australia and Asia after returning from his season-long loan at Bayern Munich.

• Alonso confirmed that he would like Enzo Fernandez to stay at Chelsea beyond this summer. The pair have spoken but he was keen for their conversation to remain private.

What do you make of what Alonso had to say in his first news conference? What comments or promises stood out to you the most?

Get in touch with your views here

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea's new manager Xabi Alonso will be speaking to the media at Stamford Bridge later on Monday.

The 44-year-old, who is entering his second week as Blues boss, is also expected to take part in a photoshoot at the stadium following his news conference.

It is standard procedure for Chelsea to formally present a new manager before the start of a season, but this appointment carries greater significance.

The club's owners have previously acknowledged that their managerial appointments have not worked out as hoped.

Last season, Enzo Maresca left the club midway through the campaign following approaches from Manchester City, while his successor, Liam Rosenior, failed to make a lasting impact.

As is often the case with new appointments, there is enthusiasm about Alonso's arrival. However, questions remain about the wider project, and only sustained success and positive results on the pitch are likely to answer them.

There are a lot of potential topics up for discussion - like his decision to join as a legendary former Liverpool player, his title being manager and not head coach and whether he can survive the managerial churn in west London.

Some of his players, such as winger Alejandro Garnacho and defender Trevoh Chalobah, are up for sale or face uncertain futures. Midfielder Enzo Fernandez also known to be exploring his options to leave.

Yet, it will be exciting to get to know a new manager going into a new campaign.

Come back to this page later for all the key lines from Alonso, analysis of what the Spaniard has said and the chance to have your say.

Chelsea are looking at a move for Crystal Palace and England midfielder Adam Wharton after Liverpool and Manchester United both cooled their interest in the 22-year-old. (Caught Offside), external

Serie A side Roma want Chelsea winger Alejandro Garnacho. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), external

With Garnacho's expected departure, Chelsea have opened talks with the representatives of Bologna's English winger Jonathan Rowe, 23. (Il Resto del Carlino - in Italian), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Pre-season is just around the corner and the Premier League returns in less than 50 days.

Here is Chelsea's pre-season schedule - with kick-off times in BST.

• 28 July v Western Sydney Wanderers (Sydney) - 10:45

• 1 August v Tottenham (Sydney) - 10:45

• 5 August v Juventus (Hong Kong) - 12.30

• 8 August v AC Milan (Jakarta) - 13:00

• 9 August v Johor Darul Ta'zim (Johor) - 13:00

Which players, including young prospects from the academy, are you most looking forward to seeing in action?

Let us know here

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso was seen doing a mixture of ball and fitness work in his first training session at Chelsea.

As well as carrying out internal media duties, the 44-year-old toured the facilities.

He had also visited last month to meet key staff like the medical department but has now formally settled into his new office at the training ground.

Meanwhile, the players were instructed to arrive at around 9am for an extended reintroduction to training as pre-season preparations began ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

Exact details of the training session are scarce, but Alonso is known to be highly hands-on and to demand intense sessions from his players.

We do know some of the players involved, notably new signings Geovany Quenda, Emmanuel Emegha and Dastan Satpaev. The latter was given permission by his club, FC Kairat, to begin training early ahead of his move officially going through when he turns 18 in August.

Chelsea's squad was largely made up of players who were not selected for the World Cup, including Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and Levi Colwill.

There were also academy players in the session, including Reggie Walsh, Mahdi Nichol-Jazuli, Landon Emenalo, Ryan Kavuma-McQueen and Calvin Diakite.

In addition, Rob Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen, Gabriel Slonina and Teddy Sharman-Lowe took part in goalkeeper training.

Further outfield players included Aaron Anselmino, Wesley Fofana, Dario Essugo, Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap, Josh Acheampong, Estevao Willian and Romeo Lavia.

Chelsea will train at Cobham until their overseas pre-season tour begins on 25 July. Their first match is against Western Sydney Wanderers on 28 July, before further fixtures in Australia and across Asia.

The Blues begin their Premier League season away at Fulham on 24 August.

Image source, Getty Images

Plenty of players have made names for themselves at this World Cup, from goalkeepers like Cape Verde's Vozinha and Paraguay's Orlando Gill to New Zealand midfielder Elijah Just.

But though they might not have been familiar to fans, the extent of modern scouting means clubs all over the world will already have known about many of them – so how have their heroics at the tournament affected their standing in the game, and their value in the transfer market?

More than the Score's Mani Djazmi is joined Ben Littlemore from Transfermarkt, one of the world's foremost football databases. Lutz Pfannenstiel, sporting director at Aberdeen, also shares his footballing knowledge in today's episode.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Geovany Quenda has had a lengthy lead-in to his move to Chelsea, spending his time at biweekly English lessons and building physical strength to adapt to the demands of the Premier League through additional training and nutritional work.

However, after working to ensure he finished his final season at Sporting strongly, he suffered a broken fifth metatarsal (a bone on the outer edge of the foot) that kept him sidelined for four months. His side finished second and lost the cup final to minnows Torreense.

During that period, he completed much of his rehabilitation at Chelsea's Cobham training ground, where he spoke regularly with then-manager Liam Rosenior and several players, including compatriots Pedro Neto and Dario Essugo.

Quenda also quietly attended matches at Stamford Bridge during this time, while avoiding being seen.

Sources close to Quenda say he is targeting a regular first-team role at Chelsea and hopes to make his senior Portugal debut in the near future.

Although Chelsea's squad are not due to return until Thursday, Quenda reported back early, along with a small number of other players, to gain a head start on his preparations.

Chelsea are adapting their squad with Quenda partly in mind. Alejandro Garnacho is for sale and academy winger Jesse Derry is set to join Sporting to create space, but Quenda may also be used at wing-back, which could be a good fit for new manager Xabi Alonso, having used deeper wide players at Bayer Leverkusen.

Read more on Quenda's rise

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Thursday marked Xabi Alonso's first day at Chelsea's Cobham training ground as the new Blues manager.

Alonso signed in and met members of the squad not currently on World Cup duty or on holiday following an exit from the tournament.

Players reporting for duty included Robert Sanchez, Levi Colwill, Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer, who brought in his new branded range of ice cubes.

Speaking to club media on his first day, Alonso said: "It feels great.

"It's a big honour to be part of this club - it's a great club, one of the best in the world over the last few decades. It's a big privilege to be part of it.

"We have challenges, nice challenges, ahead of us - but, this is the beauty of the moment."

Image source, Getty Images

The deal to bring Alonso to Stamford Bridge was completed early in the summer, ending uncertainty and speculation over Chelsea's managerial position, but Thursday marked the first day he could begin work with some of his squad.

"The timings are always important and it came at the right time for all the parts, and believing that the potential and the opportunity to come to this club was the right one," the Spaniard added.

"The potential of the team and the squad made me very excited - to find a squad to work with, to create a football idea and to bring excitement to the stadium and to connect to the fans.

"I've been there at Stamford Bridge, mostly on the other side, but I know the energy that the stadium has and we need to create that energy and bond with all the parts."

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea's newest signing Geovany Quenda hopes to follow in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo by leaving Sporting's academy for the challenge and exposure of the Premier League.

Quenda's path to the top was far from conventional. Born in Guinea-Bissau, he moved to Portugal at the age of seven and had to adapt quickly to a new environment.

That journey took him from the Damaiense's under-10s to Benfica's academy before he joined city rivals Sporting, where his development propelled him to prominence in Portuguese football.

"We saw him as an under-10 player playing against us for Benfica," former youth coach Roque told BBC Sport.

"He was incredible and different. His discipline was not always great and he was still raw, but his attitude was excellent. He was demanding of himself, confident, unpredictable, brave and had a great relationship with the ball."

After Quenda scored against Sporting in a key match for Benfica, he eventually made what Roque described as a "natural" move. Quenda then progressed into the under-23s at Sporting under Tiago Teixeira.

"Everyone talked about him. Everyone said he was one of the most talented players in the academy," Teixeira told BBC Sport.

"We wanted him to develop step by step, but he could have made his debut sooner."

Although Quenda joins a canon of great Sporting wingers, including Ronaldo, Luis Figo and Nani, his former coach believes he most closely resembles Arsenal and England forward Bukayo Saka.

"It's his explosiveness, his ability to play inside, protect the ball, his unpredictability and his creativity," Roque added.

"His running, crossing and final pass remind me a lot of Saka. He's one of the most impressive players I've seen. Among players born in 2007, he is one of the best in the world, alongside Lamine Yamal and Estevao."

Read more on Quenda's rise

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We asked for your views on the arrival of winger Geovany Quenda at Stamford Bridge and the expected sale of midfielder Andrey Santos to Manchester United.

Here are some of your comments:

Stuart: Another young unproven winger. I appreciate this transfer was agreed a while ago, but we need to get in a proven quality attacker as Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens are not up to scratch.

Clayton: He sounds good, but is he as good as Jesse Derry or Tyrique George? They are two young players that we already had who were performing better than Garnacho, Gittens and Mykhailo Mudryk, yet we've let them go and brought in another unknown. I hope he turns out to be more like an Estevao Willian and less like a Liam Delap.

Ant: Another unproven, injury-prone teenager signed on an eight-year contract. What could possibly go wrong?

Will: Quenda will be a great signing. He's another young, exiting winger and will be a good addition to the team. I wasn't keen on selling Santos but you can't really go wrong for £50m. We do need to work on more quality squad depth, which is something we seriously lacked last season.

Thevin: Santos is a good player and with Enzo Fernandez trying his best to leave we might regret letting him go. But if Romeo Lavia stays fit, maybe not.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Andrey Santos has shown plenty of promise during his time at Chelsea, but he has found himself behind the established midfield partnership of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.

Spending a season as understudy while the club were competing in the Champions League was a logical development step.

However, sources close to the player indicated several weeks ago that Santos was keen to move on in search of regular first-team football.

Chelsea have long regarded the Brazilian highly, although he has also experienced difficult spells adapting to the demands of Premier League football.

The Blues have not stood in his way of his move to Manchester United, particularly given they are set to make a significant profit on the £16m fee paid to Vasco da Gama in 2023.

His departure has prompted some supporters to question why Chelsea have not instead moved on Romeo Lavia or Dario Essugo, but neither midfielder is currently viewed as a realistic sale after campaigns disrupted by fitness problems.

Chelsea must also confront the financial reality of a season without European football. Player exits are therefore an important part of the club's plans.

That approach has already resulted in Marc Cucurella and Tyrique George leaving for Real Madrid and Everton respectively.

Defender Trevoh Chalobah, who is valued at about £35m, is also expected to move on, with Inter Milan frontrunners for his signature.

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City defender Marc Guehi's absence from England training on Wednesday was precautionary and he is expected to be fit for Saturday's World Cup quarter-final against Norway.

The centre-back raised concerns over his availability for the game in Miami after he was confirmed as one of four players - Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice and Reece James the others - who did not train in the squad's first session since Sunday's win over Mexico.

It is understood Guehi's absence was because of muscular fatigue, but the issue is not thought to be serious.

Arsenal midfielder Rice's absence is linked to the neural hamstring lower back problem that has hampered him throughout the tournament.

But, like Guehi, the vice-captain is expected to be fit to face Norway.

There also remains hope that Chelsea right-back James, who suffered a hamstring injury in the goalless draw with Ghana on 23 June, will be available.

Barcelona are competing with a host of Premier League clubs, including Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United, for Colorado Rapids and Australia defender Lucas Herrington, 18. (Teamtalk), external

Chelsea will consider Juventus and Serbia forward Dusan Vlahovic, 26, if they choose to reshape their striking department this summer. (CaughtOffside), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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