Chelsea are said to have reached a full agreement to sign an experienced Premier League midfielder as Xabi Alonso begins to craft his new squad. The Blues are expected to spend this summer, likely agreeing with Alonso that he would be able to give this squad a new look when appointing him just before the end of last season.
Previous Blues bosses have had limited say on recruitment, but that particular strategy may have reached its end, with any big-profile manager like Alonso likely to demand at least partial control before putting pen-to-paper.
This Chelsea squad is bursting at the seams with talent and potential, but it lacks polished players who have the knowledge and experience to manage critical and difficult situations. But that's something Alonso appears to be hoping to address immediately.
Xhaka heading to Stamford Bridge
Granit Xhaka Sunderland
Chelsea are now said to be closing in on the signing of experienced Sunderland midfielder Granit Xhaka, who played a key role in the Black Cats qualifying for Europe against the odds last season.
The 33-year-old is certainly in the back nine of his career, but he is proving he still has plenty to offer to the Premier League, and Alonso, who is said to have pushed for the deal, is hoping to lean into that.
Florian Plettenberg posted on X: "Granit Xhaka and Chelsea have already reached a full verbal agreement over a transfer. Personal terms have been fully agreed. #CFC Chelsea are already in contact with Sunderland. Xabi Alonso is pushing hard to sign Xhaka post Blick and various English media outlets."
That follows reports that Xhaka was keen to complete the move to Chelsea, and equally keen to return to living London having spent seven years with Arsenal between 2016 and 2023.
The holding midfielder was under contract with Sunderland until 2028, but given his age, it's likely to be an affordable fee as far as Chelsea are concerned. Despite his age, Xhaka made 34 appearances from a possible 38 for Sunderland in the Premier League last season, and he is also playing a key part in Switzerland's World Cup campaign.
Xhaka is a leader on and off the pitch
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Chelsea have sorely lacked experience in recent times, and there is little doubt in that being the inspiration behind the signing of Xhaka. Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris said of Xhaka last season: "To be competitive at that level, you need to own the performance on the pitch. Granit helps a lot because he can manage different elements on the pitch. he’s not alone but he gives hope and faith that we can win. He shows it, tells it in the dressing room.
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"The target as a coach is this, you don’t want to be the main man. This is not my purpose. I want to give knowledge, power, responsibility to the squad because you have to manage the game in real time.
"We have other players on the pitch able to manage micro situations, not just Granit. We are able to improve our level, to be more flexible and more adaptable. He sets the standards, this is probably the most important thing. He is always at his top (level) so he doesn’t have to talk, just show. It’s very important."
Alonso is already a big fan of Xhaka, describing him as a "key player" during the 2023/24 season at Bayer Leverkusen and suggesting he "makes my job on the bench much easier" because he is a "coach on the pitch".
Xabi Alonso smiles in a press conference while working as Real Madrid manager Related
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