Chelsea star Enzo Fernandes has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid, but Xabi Alonso has given no guarantees he will remain at Stamford Bridge
Xabi Alonso will have to deal with the noise surrounding several Chelsea players (Image: Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Xabi Alonso has not ruled out Enzo Fernandes leaving Chelsea, but the Spaniard was adamant: “We will make a good team.”
The former Real Madrid manager has signed a contract to become the Blues’ next manager next season, but the foundations for his tenure will be laid in the summer transfer window. There’s a lot of noise around some of the team’s leading lights.
Fernandes is one of Real Madrid’s most high-profile signings, with the Argentine joining Chelsea for £107m in 2023. Fernandes himself has talked about moving to Spain after being dropped by former manager Liam Rosenior.
That situation has now been passed on to Alonso, with the former Liverpool player being questioned over the possibility of key players such as Marc Cucurella and Joao Pedro leaving Stamford Bridge.
read more: Chelsea are planning a big-money move – what happened to Xabi Alonso’s £270m contract?read more: Xabi Alonso says the Liverpool job could have been his if he had ‘sat tight’ before signing with Chelsea
In an interview with El Chiringuito, Alonso simply said: “Well… this is football. We will have a good team.”
Alonso’s decision to join Chelsea came as a surprise to some, as the Spaniard had long been rumored to be a future Liverpool manager. The Reds have endured a difficult season, but the former player will no longer be available as the Blues acted quickly to secure his availability.
The former Bayer Leverkusen manager said Chelsea were a “great project” despite their well-documented struggles under their current ownership. The west Londoners went through different managers and spent huge sums of money, but were never able to win a real title.
Enzo Fernandes announces his departure (Image: News Images/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)
Chelsea’s failure to qualify for the Champions League could impact on their recruitment and retention plans. Due to the lack of revenue, many top players could move on, potentially forcing them to sell.
Fernandes is likely to be paid similar to what he was paid, while Cole Palmer, who has not reached the level of his debut season, has been linked with a move to Manchester United. Chelsea would make a sizable return on the playmaker if they choose to take the cash.
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