Photo: Giovanni Batista Rodriguez / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Xabi Alonso has begun overhauling Chelsea ahead of their Premier League opener at Fulham, drawing on the youth-and-experience formula that delivered a league and cup double at Bayer Leverkusen three seasons ago.
The Basque coach's pre-season has emphasised progressive passing, front-to-back attacking play, width from wingers and full-backs, and reduced reliance on possession for its own sake. Training has been described as intense.
Players who missed the World Cup — including Estevao Willian, Levi Colwill, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro — have impressed in pre-season, while several Cobham academy players have also caught Alonso's attention.
Morgan Rogers, signed from Aston Villa, scored on his friendly debut against Real Sociedad and is expected to partner Cole Palmer in a double-No10 setup, reuniting two former Manchester City academy team-mates.
Among the other arrivals, centre-back Maxence Lacroix joins from Crystal Palace with strong defensive metrics, while Marco Palestra arrives from Cagliari in Serie A having recorded the fastest average speed in that division last season. Full-back Pep Chavarria, formerly of Rayo Vallecano, adds pace and a record of long-range goals.
Goalkeeper Mike Penders, a tall Belgian, has drawn comparisons with fellow countryman Thibaut Courtois. Set-piece coach Austin MacPhee has also moved from Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge; his work last season produced 29 set-piece goals for Villa, joint-most in the Premier League.
Chelsea finished 2025/26 with the fifth-most goals and sixth-highest goal difference in the division, but dropped 17 points from winning positions at home — the most of any Premier League club. Red cards contributed to the loss of 19 points from a possible 24.
Alonso has also added experience in Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson, whose Premier League records align with the blend of youth and physicality the new head coach is seeking to establish.