'I am most excited to see Emegha'published at 15:59 BST
15:59 BST
Image source, Getty Images
We asked for your views on which players you're most looking forward to seeing in action during pre-season.
Here are some of your comments:
Aaron: Chelsea haves lacked a tall striker since the days of Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba, so I am most excited to see Emmanuel Emegha.
Judy: I would like to see Jamie Gittens and Reggie Walsh given a chance to play.
James: Mike Penders. After a strong loan spell last season, he has a chance to push his claim, especially considering the inconsistent performances of the other keepers. I would have a look at him before rushing out to buy anyone else.
Alex: Hoping to see Kendry Paez and Geovany Quenda show Xabi Alonso what they can do. They are both exciting, left-footed attackers who could potentially put some energy into the Stamford Bridge crowd this season.
Graham: I'm looking forward to seeing not only the new signings and the academy players that have made the step up, but also those who were held back by injuries. I'm interested to see how Liam Delap, Gittens, Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo perform during pre-season.
Jeff: Hope to see Quenda and whether or not he is a winger we can truly rely upon or just another young player incapable of consistently providing for his team.
'This was the easy part for Alonso'published at 13:03 BST
13:03 BST
Nat Hayward BBC Sport journalist
The Drake Suite at Stamford Bridge is adorned with pictures of Chelsea managers holding trophies. Many of these pictures are of Jose Mourinho, but fellow Premier League winner Antonio Conte also features.
Xabi Alonso motioned to these as he answered a question on his illustrious predecessors during his unveiling news conference on Monday, saying he is "really honoured and privileged" to follow in their footsteps.
Alonso will want to emulate their success, but first he must calm the noise around a perpetually chaotic football club and imprint his style on a squad still to fully take shape.
The attention of the football world this week may be firmly on the World Cup semi-finals, but Alonso's star quality still drew a significant media crowd at Stamford Bridge.
The Spaniard breezed through questions on what drew him to the Blues, his ambitions for the squad and, with minimal awkwardness and a declaration of his "love" for London, his status as a Liverpool legend from his playing days.
There was a glowing appraisal of Cole Palmer, an assertion that he wants Enzo Fernandez to stay at the club and positive reflections on his first few days of pre-season at Cobham, all delivered with a calm, relaxed demeanor – often with a half-smile. He elicited some laughs with a few wry remarks.
There were also repeated references to being "aligned" with the club's much-maligned sporting directors, who he stressed he does want to work with. It was the breakdown in relationship between them and previous head coach Enzo Maresca that contributed to the Italian's exit midway through last season.
The title of manager given to Alonso has been stressed by the club and may allow him more control and this new relationship to prosper with less strain. In this era of Chelsea, working within the football structure set out is a pre-requisite.
Another theme running through the 20-minute media session was the "hunger" and "ambition" that exists within the club and the playing squad.
Those are just words of course, but they are words that Blues fans will cling to after the meek, timid way the 2025-26 campaign ended.
This was the easy part for Alonso. No pressure. No bumps in the road to reflect on or big decisions to justify. A blank canvas on which to paint his vision.
However, although it is a cliche to say a new manager spoke well at their unveiling, Alonso inarguably spoke well at his.
Monday's news conference was the first opportunity to ask Xabi Alonso why he had not ended up managing his former club Liverpool.
Alonso, who won an array of honours as a player at Liverpool, including the Champions League in 2005, says his decision to join Chelsea was "about timings".
'Saying all the right things, just like our previous managers'published at 10:21 BST
10:21 BST
Image source, Getty Images
We asked for your views on Xabi Alonso's first news conference as Chelsea manager which took place on Monday.
The Blues boss said he is "aligned" with the club's sporting directors, set qualifying for European football as a goal for 2026-27, outlined his plan for "exciting and brave" football and confirmed his wish for Enzo Fernandez to stay at Stamford Bridge.
Here are some of your thoughts:
Phil: Alonso speaks well, but so did Liam Rosenior to begin with. I'm really not sure about Fernandez and I feel we have made a big mistake in letting Andrey Santos go. It's still too early to make any predictions because we are yet to see how all the transfers pan out and it's not clear what the final squad will look like. I just want to play good, attacking football, shore up the defence and take more of the chances we create. If we do, then the top four is a realistic target.
Keith: He is saying all the right things, just like our previous managers, but let's see what happens at the start of the season. European football is the main target, with some silverware from a domestic competition please!
Stuart: I'm so pleased to hear this. Chelsea must do all they can to keep Fernandez! They must not let another star leave in the same way they sold Marc Cucurella and Santos.
Nicholas: BlueCo will try its hardest not to buy anyone over 21 years old while pretending it actually wants to. It seems nothing has changed, so it could get very messy very quickly.
Andrew: I like Alonso and he comes across well when speaking to the media. I admired him as a football player - he was a fantastic midfield general with a great understanding of the game. This translated into management, as him taking Bayer Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title proved. I think he will be successful at Chelsea.
'The ultimate goal is clear and it is the way it should be'published at 09:30 BST
09:30 BST
Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Xabi Alonso is Chelsea's sixth permanent manager in four years under the club's American owners BlueCo, led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
His predecessors Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior held the title of head coach rather than manager.
Alonso arrives with the loftier title of manager, which insiders say is not insignificant, though he will still have to work with the five-strong sporting director team on recruiting players.
Asked whether being given that title was important in giving him more authority, Alonso replied: "What I like is that we work together and we are all part of the decisions we take. We all feel responsible for that.
"The ultimate goal is clear and it is the way it should be.
"We are confident that we are doing the right things in the right way. The potential is there. There is a strong base and a good team already there.
"We need to reinforce it in the right way and take good decisions to do that. The feeling is that we are aligned with the sporting directors. The ultimate goal is to have a good team and build the right squad, and we are in that moment."
Chelsea missed out on European qualification after losing at Sunderland on the final day of the Premier League season and finishing 10th.
That has had implications as the Blues look to reduce the size of their squad, and star players, such as Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro, missed out on World Cup call-ups.
Alonso has benefited from more time on the training pitch, with the majority of his squad already available during pre-season and Palmer returning hungry after being overlooked for the England squad.
"We have been together for a few days and he has come in with a positive mindset and positive spirit. He wants to enjoy playing football," Alonso said of Palmer.
"He is a special player - a different class with a different quality. If we help him by building a team around him that allows his talent to shine, we will be closer to success. I am sure of that."
Gossip: Inter cannot afford £30m Chalobahpublished at 07:55 BST
07:55 BST
Inter Milan have given up on signing Trevoh Chalobah as they cannot afford Chelsea's asking price of £30m, but Como are still interested in the defender. (Corriere dello Sport - in Italian), external
Chelsea are set make an offer which could reach £21m for Rayo Vallecano's Spanish left-back Pep Chavarria, 28. (Marca - in Spanish), external
Meanwhile, Thomas Schjelderup's performances for Norway at the World Cup have increased Benfica's asking price for the 22-year-old winger to £43m, with Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham interested in him. (A Bola - in Portuguese), external
When the World Cup finishes, the football continues on BBC Sportpublished at 07:13 BST
07:13 BST
When the World Cup ends, regardless of who wins, we'll still have loads of great content every day as we build up to the new Premier League season.
We're already working on some exciting new things for 2026-27.
As well as all the fallout and reaction to the tournament, we'll quickly shift back towards club football, with pre-season coverage and all the latest transfer gossip and stories.
BBC Sport and teams across BBC Nations and Regions cover all 20 Premier League sides and we have dedicated club reporters, who will be travelling to bring you behind-the-scenes insights from pre-season tours.
We'll also have live pages for selected pre-season matches, as well as in-depth features and storytelling, giving you the latest updates before the new campaign.
Once the World Cup ends, some of the standout players will be hot property in the transfer market, with top clubs chasing their signatures.
We'll also have our daily transfer gossip column, wrapping up all the rumours from across the football world.
For fans of World Cup Predictor, a new weekly game will be launching immediately after the tournament, with five fixtures a week to predict the outcomes of. You'll be able to build up your streaks and share your results with friends and family.
Our quizzes will also continue to be available to play so you can test your knowledge of the beautiful game.
Our new Shorts tab in the BBC Sport app will be the home of sport videos with content throughout the week from your club, including explainers, pundit analysis, interviews and behind-the-scenes content. We'll also be starting to include more reaction from fans so you can see the latest hot takes and debate the biggest talking points from your club.
Live pages are going to get bigger and better with more interactive elements, more conversation and improved functionality. They'll have BBC Radio 5 Live audio commentaries for the Premier League and Champions League, as well as live video for FA Cup.
Remember, the best way to get all of this content is to download the BBC Sport app and follow your favourite teams and sports using the My Sport tab.
Once you've set this up, you'll have quick access to those pages at the top of your Home tab and we'll be able to serve you better, more personalised, experiences in future.
And when following your Premier League team, from the start of the 2026-27 season you'll also get Live Notifications, which give you score updates directly on your phone's lock screen during a match.
Alonso passes first grilling but more to comepublished at 17:36 BST 13 July
17:36 BST 13 July
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.
Alonso on joining the Blues, 'brave football' and Fernandez's futurepublished at 17:06 BST 13 July
17:06 BST 13 July
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 to be unveiled at Stamford Bridge on Mondaypublished at 09:56 BST 13 July
09:56 BST 13 July
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.
What we learned from Alonso's first training sessionpublished at 12:03 BST 10 July
12:03 BST 10 July
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.
Will your club sign any World Cup breakout stars?published at 12:00 BST 10 July
12:00 BST 10 July
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.
Quenda makes head start on trainingpublished at 08:18 BST 10 July
08:18 BST 10 July
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.
'A big honour' - Alonso reports for first day at Cobhampublished at 18:22 BST 9 July
18:22 BST 9 July
Image source, Getty Images
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."
Image source, Getty Images
