Now Xabi Alonso has his feet under the table at Stamford Bridge, the new Chelsea manager spoke to the British media for the first time
16:05, 13 Jul 2026
Xabi Alonso met his Chelsea players for the first time on Thursday
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Xabi Alonso met his Chelsea players for the first time on Thursday(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
Xabi Alonso outlined his vision for Chelsea in his first press conference as manager. He recently took charge of training for the first time, where he got to meet his new players.
Alonso arrives at a pivotal time for the club after last season's poor showing which saw the club finish tenth in the Premier League. He also joined Chelsea just as Marc Cucurella swapped Stamford Bridge for Real Madrid, while there also remains uncertainty about Enzo Fernandez.
He has also told his players what he expects via an in-house media interview with the club. Nearly a fortnight after beginning his role in July 1, football.london has every word from his first press conference at Stamford Bridge.
1. Xabi, many congratulations on your appointment. What excites you about taking charge of Chelsea?
"Well, first of all, good afternoon everyone. Thank you for congratulating me. The excitement is the club, the squad, the chance, the opportunity and the honour to come to this great club and to create the excitement, this bond with the supporters and to win games and to be successful."
2. How ready do you feel to manage a club the size of Chelsea, given the previous experiences you've had as a manager and as a player?
"I want to enjoy it. I want to be part of this club, work together with the sports directors, with the players, with the staff around. I see that it's a club with great potential.
"We need for sure to make important decisions, right decisions, but I think that we have a strong base already built and now we need to follow up to keep building and building this mentality to be competitive on the pitch, to win games and to enjoy it."
3. You've got a long contract, but what do you want to achieve in your first season in charge? Does Chelsea need to be playing European football next season?
"Well, for sure that's a goal, but to reach that goal you need to do many right things and to be part of that process, how we want to play, how we want to see ourselves and how we want to approach the game, wherever we go, that's my job.
"That's what I'm really looking forward to. We have not the whole squad at the moment, we have some bits, but early days and happy early days so far. For sure we want to be there and time will tell, but we are ambitious to be in Chelsea, we need to share that energy, that ambition and as well that hunger to want to have success."
4. Xabi, you've had some players back already after a summer off, unusual for Chelsea. How much hunger did you see in those players' eyes already?
"Yes, I'm sure and I have felt already that they will have a good season. After last year we were starting from zero, we saw new faces from the staff, from the manager, but they are really keen on whatever we are doing.
"We can't really tell that much, just four days with some players, but you see that the energy is good, the excitement is there and we need to prepare well. We have time for that and it's very important that we build the right mentality to compete, we build the right basics, essentials on a daily basis to be ready for the weekends."
5. The players who are here at the moment, the players who might come in in the future, what are the most important characteristics that they need to thrive under you?
"We need to have hunger, we need to have the passion for the game. We need to want to improve, we are in such a competitive competition and for that we need to prepare ourselves.
"We need to be really, really determined and be really strong on our basics, how we want to play, we will have time for that, but those are the most important pillars in our game."
6. I wanted to ask you, Chelsea when you were appointed were fighting Sutherland in the last game and they lost and didn't qualify for Europe, how much has that changed things in terms of the squad, maybe having to reduce the numbers?
"Small details for sure, but the main focus about how we want to start the competition in August, it hasn't changed much. The plan is that we are working in line with the sports directors, where we want to reach, the team is good and where we want to reinforce the positions that are needed is clear.
"There are still some weeks to go but we are working in a very aligned way and this is the right way."
7. There's one player you haven't met but I was wondering if you'd spoken to him, Enzo Fernandez, there's a lot of talk about him and his future, I wondered if you'd spoken to him and spoke about your vision and if you want to keep him as well?
"Yes, we have spoken but as you can understand what we have spoken remains private."
8. Do you want to keep him though?
"Yes."
9. You are named as the manager not the head coach. Can you explain what that means?
"We are working together to take the right decisions in the squad planning on a daily basis on the training session. I am on that but how we want to prepare the squad for which players and which positions are needed is the work that we are doing together with the sports directors.
"We are aligned, we have set our priorities for what we want to do and this is the work that we are doing."
10. You have been linked with moves to the Premier League, most notably your former club Liverpool, two part question, first of all were you always wanting to come back and manage in the Premier League and secondly coming to Chelsea, big shoes to follow in the likes of Mourinho, Conte, Hiddink etc?
"Yes, of course the Premier League is the most competitive league in the world right now, so it is a challenge to come here, it is a challenge in my managerial career.
"I am really excited about accepting it, improving and learning together and the history of Chelsea is there, not just because of their success but because of so many great players that they have played, so many great managers that have been here.
"Some of them, I see some pictures and I know some of these guys, so I feel really honoured, privileged and ready for the challenge."
11. I wanted to ask about Cole Palmer, one of the players you have had a chance to work with, what were your first impressions of him and how important will he be to the team that you have built here?
"Yes, we have had a few training sessions already and from the first day you can see he is a special talent, he is a special player, it is not easy to have one of those and you can notice his quality.
"How he is able to play the right decision in the right spot, so I am happy that he has come in a good mood, in a good mindset to have a great season and we are really looking forward to get the best from him.
"If we are able to build a strong team with the proper stability to find the key players, for sure Cole is going to be one of those key players in the attacking part."
12. What do you see in Marco Palestra and how do you think you can help him adapt to the Premier League?
"He has many great qualities to adapt to modern football, he is a player that gives you versatility in his positioning, playing in a back four and a back five, even.
"Sometimes he has to play on the left, physically really strong, we need to keep working with him in his development and training to adapt to the Premier League. But I am pretty sure and I am positive that it will take a lot of time and he has a very good mentality in terms of competitiveness.
"In terms of his hunger to improve, so I am happy that he is with him, he has been already training and we are really looking forward to getting the best from him."
13. When you talk about the identity of the team you want to build here, is it going to be a back five, back four, do you have that in mind already?
"Yes for sure I have things in mind, this is my job and for sure we want to be active, we want to be brave, we want to play good football, we want to compete well, but above that we need a good mentality. I think that is fundamental to understand, to do what it takes in each moment.
"It will be a process for sure but we want to show that we are ready to do whatever we want, once we are getting closer to the start of the season we will reassure that with all the players, but so far this is going to be key."
14. On the World Cup, it is a really long one and there are four players in the squad missing, eight from Arsenal, how much has the World Cup got in the way of your preparations?
"It was already in the plan, so it is not a big surprise that at this stage we still have some players. I am happy for them because what they are living is an unforgettable experience.
"Hopefully at the end we will have a world champion when they come back to Cobham and we will celebrate that, but we adapt, we have to be flexible in that situation and we will have to speed it up in preparation with some players, but it is going to happen."
15. As a player you love Liverpool, how much do you love London?
"I have always loved London, I have come many times and now I will have the chance to live it in full experience living here, myself, my wife, my daughters, so I am really looking forward to it, I am not discovering anything to say, it is one of the greatest cities in the world."
16. I would like to know now that we are in the middle of a World Cup competition, you are a winner of the World Cup 2010, I am sure this brings you memories of that time in your life? I want to know your opinion on how Spain are doing these days and what you think is going to happen tomorrow against France?
"Actually seeing all the Spanish games, it brings me a lot of memories from the World Cup that we won, because of the team, because of the energy that they transmit, because of the control they have on the games.
"We have many reasons to be optimistic for sure. Whatever will happen with France, it is going to be a fantastic game to watch, so really looking forward to it."
17. Do you think they will be able to achieve the same goals you achieved in 2008, 10 and 12?
"They have a great team and I can see them winning this World Cup for sure. They play really good and they have a really strong team."
18. Welcome back to London, welcome to Chelsea. No manager since Antonio Conte has won the Premier League in their first season. Pep Guardiola needed one season, Klopp needed about five, Arteta needed about six as well, are you confident you will be given the time to build a team which can challenge for the Premier League, if not, win it?
"Time will tell, but what I am sure is that we have the ambition to win a lot of games, to be competitive, we want to take important decision.
"We need to build strong principles, a strong mentality and culture in the club and time will tell. I am not going to say what will happen in May, for me it is too early to say that.
"But I am confident, I am optimistic to think that we can have a great season and for that it is time to prepare, it is time to work, it is time to be intelligent in many things and after to hope that we have this belief and to have this belief within the team with our fans here in Stamford Bridge will be very important."
19. It is my understanding that Alejandro Garnacho was not at your first training session. You might be able to correct that, why was he not there and what is his future now?
"Well the situation, we have spoken with the sports directors and there is an interest from him, from other clubs, so let's see how it develops. But hopefully it finishes in the best possible way for all the parties."
20. And just finally, Nicolas Jackson's future as well, he was on loan at Bayern Munich last year. he was quite impressive at times, he is now back here, what does his future look like?
"He is joining in the tour that we are starting in Asia and I am looking forward to start with Nico at that time."
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