Chelsea have wasted no time in preparing for the new season, wrapping up plenty of deals ahead of Xabi Alonso’s arrival at the start of next month.
Chelsea have already begun preparing for the arrival of Xabi Alonso. The new Blues manager, who last month signed a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge, will get his feet under the table on July 1, giving him and the sporting leadership team plenty of time to prepare for the new season.
football.london understands that Alonso will work closely with the Chelsea board this summer. It’s said that he and the sporting directors are aligned on the areas of the squad that need improving, with a centre-back, central midfielder and left-sided winger among the top priorities.
The Blues are also hopeful of keeping big names in west London, too, as the former Liverpool midfielder looks to ‘build the right culture and win trophies’. Upon putting pen to paper, Alonso said: “Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in world football, and it fills me with immense pride to become manager of this great club.
“From my conversations with the ownership group and sporting leadership, it is clear we share the same ambition. We want to build a team capable of competing consistently at the highest level and fighting for trophies.”
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Alonso, who stepped down as the Real Madrid boss at the start of the year, added: “There is great talent in the squad and huge potential at this football club, and it will be my great honour to lead it. Now the focus is on hard work, building the right culture and winning trophies.”
So, with that being said, football.london has looked at what business Chelsea have already wrapped up ahead of the summer transfer window.
Chelsea welcome new faces to Stamford Bridge
Chelsea have already forked out about £100million on new players ahead of the summer transfer window. The Blues are set to finally welcome Geovany Quenda, whom they agreed to sign from Sporting Clube de Portugal in March 2025 for £40m, and Dastan Satpaev, whom they signed from Kairat for less than £3m at the start of last year.
Chelsea are also set to sign Emmanuel Emegha and Valentin Barco from Strasbourg. They agreed on an undisclosed fee for the former with their sister club, also owned by BlueCo, shortly after the summer transfer window slammed shut last year.
Before Alonso was appointed as the permanent replacement for Liam Rosenior in the dugout, Chelsea agreed to sign the latter too for another undisclosed fee. According to Transfermarkt, Barco, who’s at the World Cup this summer with Argentina, and Emegha are currently said to be worth a combined €65m (£56m).
Mike Penders, whom Chelsea signed from Genk for £17m in August 2024, will also report for pre-season, but he’s already spent time with the first team. Before joining Strasbourg on loan, where he established himself as one of the most promising young goalkeepers in Europe last term, the 20-year-old worked was part of Enzo Maresca’s squad at the Club World Cup.
football.london understands that the Blues will assess their options between the sticks in the summer, and senior figures at Stamford Bridge believe Penders has the potential to become the long-term number one. He’s part of the Belgium squad ahead of the World Cup, so he could miss the first weeks of Alonso’s reign.
To arrive: Geovany Quenda, Emmanuel Emegha, Dastan Satpaev, and Valentin Barco.
Five Chelsea players denied Alonso audition
As many as five Chelsea players have already been denied the chance to earn a place in Alonso’s squad next season. The Blues have announced that Jimi Tauriainen, Sam Rak-Sakyi, Richard Olise and Brodi Hughes will leave Stamford Bridge upon the expiration of their contracts later this month.
The Premier League later revealed that Chelsea will release James Hillson, too, who was never formally unveiled as a player when he arrived at Cobham training ground last summer. The 25-year-old goalkeeper worked closely with the first team, and he was often pictured on the winning team in small-sided training matches.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Hillson holds a UEFA B Coaching Licence, so he was likely brought in as somebody to aid Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen with preparations between the sticks. The shot-stopper, who enjoyed a brief spell at Arsenal during his formative years, featured four times for Salisbury in the National League South during the 2024/25 campaign.
As it stands, it remains unclear whether Hillson will pursue a career in coaching or seek minutes on the pitch. He and the four Cobham prospects are just the first of many players who are expected to leave Chelsea this summer.
Released: Jimi Tauriainen, Sam Rak-Sakyi, Richard Olise, Brodi Hughes, and James Hillson.
