Alonso's First Press Conference — 13/07/26 — Chelsea FC 26/27

[0:00] Xabi, many congratulations on your appointment. What excites you about taking charge of Chelsea? [0:06] Well, first of all, good afternoon everyone. Thank you for congratulations. [0:14] And the excitement is the club, the squad, the opportunity and the honour to come to join this [0:21] great club and to create the excitement, this bond with the supporters and to win games and to be successful. [0:32] How ready do you feel to manage this club the size of Chelsea given the previous experiences you've had as a manager and as a player? [0:41] 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. [0:52] I see that it's a club with a great potential. We need for sure to make important decisions, right decisions. [1:02] But I think that there is a very strong base already built and now we need to follow up to keep building and building this mentality [1:10] to be competitive on the pitch, to win games and to enjoy it. [1:16] You've got a long contract, but what do you want to achieve in your first season in charge? [1:21] Do Chelsea need to be playing European football next season? [1:24] Well, for sure, that's a goal, but to reach that goal you need to do many right things. [1:31] And to be part of that process, how we want to play, how we want to see ourselves, how we want to approach the game wherever we go. [1:41] That's my job, that's what I'm really looking forward to, to have the whole squad. [1:47] At the moment we have some pits, but early days and happy early days so far. [1:52] But for sure we want to be there and time will tell, but we are ambitious and to be in Chelsea you need to share that energy, that ambition and as well that hunger to want to have success. [2:13] Thanks James. [2:14] Paul Belverstone, Premier League Studios. [2:16] You've had some players back already after a summer off, unusually for Chelsea. [2:21] How much hunger did you see in those players' eyes already? [2:25] Yes, I'm sure and I have felt already that they want to have a good season. [2:35] After last year we are starting from zero in some new phases from the staff, from the manager, but they are really keen on whatever we are doing. [2:47] We can't really tell that much, it's just four days with some players, but you see that the energy is good, the excitement is there and we need to prepare well. [2:57] We have time for that and I said before 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. [3:14] 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? [3:23] We need to have hunger, we need to have the passion for the game, we want to, we need to want to improve. [3:32] We are coming in, the Premier League is such a competitive competition and for that we need to prepare ourselves, [3:42] we need to be really, really determined in details, really strong on our basics, how we want to play. [3:50] We will have time for that, but those are the most important pillars in our game. [3:56] It's Paul Nizar in the front here, please. [3:59] Hi Zoe, it's Nizar from BBC, welcome. [4:03] I wanted to ask you, Chelsea, when you were appointed to a fighting Sunderland in the last game and they lost and didn't qualify for Europe, [4:11] how much has that changed things in terms of the squad, maybe having to reduce the numbers or how much has it changed? [4:17] No, small details for sure, but the main focus about what we want to, how we want to start the competition in August, it doesn't change much. [4:27] The plan is that we are working aligned with the sports directors, where we want to reach the team is good [4:35] and where we want to reinforce the positions that are needed is clear. [4:39] Still some weeks to go, but we are working in a very aligned way and this is the right way. [4:45] There's one player you haven't met, but I was wondering if you'd spoken to him, Enzo Fernandes, there's a lot of talk about him in his future. [4:53] I wondered if you'd spoken to him and spoke about your vision and if you want to keep him as well? [4:58] Yes, we have spoken, but as you can understand what we have spoken remains private, but yes, we have spoken. [5:06] Do you want to keep him though at Chelsea? [5:08] Yeah, yeah. [5:10] Thanks Nizar. [5:11] Ian, down here please. [5:12] Hi Jeremy, how are you? [5:17] Good, thank you. [5:18] And you? [5:19] Welcome to Chelsea. [5:20] Not a head coach, but the manager. [5:22] Can you explain to me, does that mean you're going to be in charge of everything? [5:26] Does that mean you're going to have exactly the same role at the club you've had at your previous club? [5:31] Just outline for us the difference for you, manager, compared to the coach. [5:35] For me it means that we are working together to take the decisions, the right decisions in the squad planning on a daily basis on the trainees. [5:47] 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. [5:57] And we are aligned. [5:58] We have set our priorities, what we want to do, and this is the work that we are doing. [6:04] And Varadius, you are linked with a move to the Premier League, most notably your former club Liverpool. [6:10] Two part question. [6:12] First of all, were you always wanting to come back and manage in the Premier League? [6:15] And secondly, coming to Chelsea, some big shoes to follow in the likes of Mourinho, Conte, Houdink etc. [6:23] Yeah, of course, the Premier League is the most competitive league in the world right now. [6:29] It is a challenge to come here, it is a challenge in my managerial career, [6:34] but really excited about accepting it, improving and learning to get there, and the history of Chelsea is there. [6:48] Not just because of their success, because of so many great players that they have played, so many great managers that they have been here. [6:57] Some of them, I see some pictures, and I know some of these guys. [7:02] So I feel really honour, privilege, and ready for the work. [7:06] Thanks, Ian. [7:08] Liam, in the second row, please. [7:11] Hi, Chaby. [7:12] Liam from The Athletic. [7:13] Welcome. [7:14] I wanted to ask about Cole Palmer, one of the players you've had a chance to work with. [7:18] What were your first impressions of him, and how important will he be to the team that you built here? [7:23] Yeah, we have had a few trainings already. [7:28] And from the first day, you can see he's a special talent. [7:33] He's a special player. [7:34] He's not easy to have one of those. [7:39] And you can notice his quality, how he's able to play the right decision in the right spot. [7:50] So I'm happy that he has come in a good mood, in a good mindset to have a great season. [7:58] And we are really looking forward to get the best from him. [8:02] 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. [8:15] Thank you. [8:16] Okay, Davide, third row, please. [8:19] Hello, Chaby. [8:22] I'm Davide Quinellato with the Gazzetta dello Sport. [8:24] You already signed one player at Ballesta. [8:27] What did you see in him? [8:28] And how do you think you can help him adapt to the Premier League football? [8:32] No, he has many great qualities to adapt to modern football. [8:37] He's a player that gives you versatility in his positioning, playing a back four and a back five. [8:44] Even sometimes he has to play on the left, physically really strong. [8:47] We need to keep working with him in his development in the adaptation to the Premier League. [8:53] But I'm pretty sure and I'm positive that it will take a lot of time. [8:58] And he has the very good mentality in terms of competitiveness, in terms of this hunger to improve. [9:08] So I'm happy that he's with him. [9:10] He's been already training and we are really looking forward to getting the best from him. [9:15] When you talk about the identity of the team you want to build here, is it going to be a back five, back four? [9:21] Do you have that in mind already or is it something that you want to add? [9:25] Yes, for sure. [9:26] I have things in mind. [9:27] This is my job. [9:28] And for sure we want to be active. [9:30] We want to be brave. [9:31] We want to play good football. [9:33] We want to compete well. [9:35] But above that, we need a good mentality. [9:37] I think that that's fundamental to understand what to do, what it takes in each moment. [9:43] It will be a process for sure. [9:45] But we want to show that we are ready whenever we go. [9:51] Once we are getting closer to the start of the season, we will reassure that with all the players. [10:01] But so far this is going to be key. [10:03] Thank you. [10:04] Thanks, Davide. [10:05] Second row, please. [10:06] On the World Cup, it's a really long one and there are four players in the squad missing, eight from Arsenal. [10:14] How much has the World Cup got in the way of your preparations? [10:20] Well, it was already in the plan. [10:21] So it's not a big surprise that at this stage we still have some players. [10:28] I'm happy for them because what they are living is an unforgettable experience. [10:37] Hopefully, at the end, we will have a world champion when they come back to Cobham and we will celebrate that. [10:48] But we adapt and we have to be flexible in that situation and we will have to speed up the preparation with some players. [10:57] But it's going to happen. [11:00] As a player, your love for Liverpool is well known, but how much do you love London? [11:05] I've always loved London. [11:08] I've come many times and now I will have the chance to live it in full experience, living here myself, my wife, my daughters. [11:16] So really looking forward. [11:18] So I'm not discovering anything to say it's one of the greatest cities in the world. [11:24] In the back, please. [11:26] Hello, thank you. [11:33] My name is Diego Arispelleta. [11:34] I work for Televisión Española. [11:35] I would like to know, now that we are in the middle of the World Cup competition, you are a winner of the World Cup 2010. [11:42] I'm sure this brings you memories of that time in your life. [11:47] I want to know your opinion on how Spain are doing these days and what you think is going to happen tomorrow against France. [11:54] And it would be lovely if you can answer in Spanish too. [11:56] Thank you. [11:57] Well, I will briefly later answer in Spanish for the Spanish TV. [12:04] Actually, seeing all the Spanish games, it brings me a lot of memories from the World Cup that we won. [12:18] Because of the team, because of the energy that they transmit, because of the control they have on the games. [12:24] So we have many reasons to be optimistic. [12:27] For sure, whatever will happen with France, it's going to be a fantastic game to watch. [12:36] So really looking forward to it. [12:38] Do you think they will be able to achieve the same goals you achieved in 2008, 2010 and 2012? Is that possible for them? [12:47] They have a great team. And I can see them winning this World Cup for sure. [12:52] Now, so many English gentlemen around, they are hoping not to happen. [13:00] But they play really good and they have a very strong team. [13:06] Down here, please, in the front. [13:08] Good afternoon, Xabi. Welcome back to London. Welcome to Chelsea. [13:17] Thank you. [13:18] No manager since Antonio Conte has won the Premier League in their first season. [13:23] I believe Pep Guardiola needed one season. Klopp needed about five. Arteta needed about six as well. [13:29] Are you confident you will be given the time to build a team which can challenge for the Premier League if not win it? [13:36] Time will tell. But what I'm sure is that we have the ambition to win a lot of games, to be competitive. [13:42] We want, as I've said before, we need to take important decisions. [13:46] We need to build strong principles and strong mentality and culture in the club. [13:53] And time will tell. I'm not going to say what will happen in May. [13:57] For me, it's absolutely too early to say that. [13:59] But I'm confident and optimistic to think that we can have a great season. [14:04] And for that, it's time to prepare. It's time to work. [14:09] It's time to be intelligent in many things and after to hope that we have this belief. [14:18] And to have this belief within the team with our fans here in Stamford Bridge will be very important. [14:25] And just finally, it's my understanding that Alejandro Garnaccio was not at your first training session. [14:31] You might be able to correct that unless he might have been elsewhere, etc. [14:34] Why was he not there and what is his future like? [14:36] Well, the situation that we have spoken with the sports directors and there's an interest from him, from other clubs. [14:43] So let's see how it develops. But hopefully it finishes in the best possible ways for all the parts. [14:50] And just finally, Nicholas Jackson's future as well. He was on loan at Bayern Munich last year. [14:55] He looked quite impressive at times. He's now back here. What's his future looking like? [14:59] He's joining the tour that we are starting in Asia. [15:04] And looking forward to start with Nico at that time. [15:08] Thank you very much. [15:10] Thank you very much.