Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso arrives at Cobham to officially begin role

Xabi Alonso officially arrived at Cobham on Thursday to begin his tenure as Chelsea manager, taking charge of pre-season preparations after replacing Liam Rosenior.

The former Real Madrid boss was appointed in May but has only now stepped into his new role at the club’s training ground.

He was greeted by senior squad members who are not currently participating in the World Cup.

Rebuilding after a disappointing campaign

The Blues face a season without European football after finishing 10th last term during a turbulent campaign managed by Enzo Maresca, Rosenior and interim coach Calum McFarlane.

Despite only just arriving in west London, the Spaniard has already been instrumental in shaping the squad.

Full-back Marco Pelastra has been recruited, while the protracted arrival of Geovany Quenda from Sporting CP was formally completed on Wednesday.

However, attempts to reunite the new head coach with Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka have stalled. Chelsea saw a bid rejected for the Swiss international, who had been eager to return to London after previously playing for Arsenal.

World Cup absentees return for duty

Cole Palmer was among the notable names reporting back for training after controversially missing out on Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.

He was joined by compatriot Levi Colwill, who was also overlooked for the summer tournament despite delivering impressive performances following his recovery from a long-term anterior cruciate ligament injury.

A proven tactical pedigree

The highly-rated tactician built his managerial reputation on a fluid 3-4-2-1 system at Bayer Leverkusen.

He famously led the German outfit to a historic unbeaten domestic campaign and a maiden Bundesliga title during the 2023-24 season.

A subsequent spell at the Santiago Bernabeu yielded a Club World Cup semi-final appearance, though he departed in January following a Super Cup defeat by Barcelona.