Alonso cut a figure of calm and confidence as he addressed the media in the Drake Suite for the first time since taking the reins at Chelsea. In comments highlighted byChelsea’s official website, the former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen boss, who has already begun implementing his ideas at the club’s Cobham training ground, made no secret of his delight at being chosen to lead the Blues into a new era.
"Firstly, I want to say thank you to everyone for the welcome," Alonso explains in his opening answer. "The excitement (for taking the job) is very simple; it’s the club, the squad, and the opportunity to come to this great club. I want to be part of this club, working together with the sporting directors, with the players and with the staff around me in Cobham."