Xabi Alonso will take over as Chelsea manager at the beginning of July and the club have already agreed on a five-player welcome present for the Spaniard
Xabi Alonso will get his first taste of managing in the Premier League next season(Image: Florencia Tan Jun)
Xabi Alonso will manage for the first time in the Premier League next season and he has chosen Chelsea as the perfect place to do it.
The Blues surprised many when they confirmed the appointment of the Spaniard on a four-year contract earlier in the month. Many had questioned whether the Stamford Bridge-based club still had the lure to attract the world’s best managers/coaches but there is no doubt about that anymore.
Alonso will officially begin working on July 1, with a big summer ahead for Chelsea on the transfer hunt. Fortunately for Alonso, the club have already agreed deals for five new players to come in over the course of the summer.
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With that being said, football.london takes a look at the quintet of players arriving in west London over the summer and when they will be available for Alonso.
Mike Penders
As reported by football.london on Wednesday, Penders is set for an opportunity to fight for a place with Robert Sanchez next season. After an impressive season on loan at BlueCo-owned Strasbourg, the young Belgian goalkeeper will be desperate to make a similar impression on Alonso over the summer.
Penders is part of Belgium’s World Cup squad so his arrival on the pre-season tour will depend on how far the Red Devils get in football’s biggest international competition. Chelsea and Alonso will be hoping Penders can join up with the first-team squad for the first leg of the tour in Sydney in late-July.
Dastan Satpaev
Satpaev will join Chelsea this summer, arriving from Kairat Almaty. The Kazakh forward will not be part of the World Cup with his country failing to qualify.
It is not yet known whether Satpaev will be part of the Chelsea first-team picture next term. It seems more likely, though, that the soon-to-be 18-year-old will be sent on loan elsewhere in Europe to gain some valuable senior experience given his tender age and lack of experience.
Dastan Satpaev will arrive at Chelsea in the summer(Image: Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP)
Emmanuel Emegha
The Dutchman was left out of the Netherlands squad for the upcoming World Cup campaign. It was an injury-troubled season for incoming Chelsea striker Emegha, who is set to arrive at Cobham over the summer.
Emegha might find it difficult in his debut season given the competition for the No.9 spot at Stamford Bridge, especially when Nicolas Jackson could have a role to play next season as well. With no World Cup commitments, Emegha should be given some extra time to get to know Alonso on and off the training pitch.
Valentin Barco
Barco, another player arriving from Strasbourg this summer, is reportedly not going to the World Cup next month. Reports from Argentina, Barco’s homeland, claim the soon-to-be Chelsea man has not been selected to represent the world champions this summer.
While being a big blow for Barco, personally, Chelsea might benefit by having one of their new signings on tour with them in Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Geovany Quenda
After an emotional departure from Sporting CP, Quenda is now preparing for his move to Stamford Bridge this summer. As exclusively revealed by football.london earlier this month, the 19-year-old winger is hoping to take advantage of the delayed returns of Estevao Willian (hamstring injury) and Pedro Neto (representing Portugal at the World Cup) during pre-season training.
Quenda is not a part of the Portugal squad for the upcoming World Cup and will instead train with his new manager and teammates at Cobham before jetting off to Sydney in July.
