Alonso walked into the Drake Suite, a space commemorating Chelsea’s league-winning coaches, and remarked that guiding a club with such a decorated past felt like a “privilege and honour”.
He has been working with a large contingent at Cobham, featuring Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and Levi Colwill, while just eight Chelsea players are on duty at the World Cup.
The 44-year-old detailed why he took the Chelsea role after Enzo Maresca departed in January and his replacement, Liam Rosenior, was dismissed less than four months later.
“What fires me up is the club, the playing group and the chance, under this ownership, to be at such a renowned side, connect with the fans, pick up victories and achieve things,” he shared.
“I want to savour this, become a real part of this collective and work closely with the sporting directors, the squad and the people already here.”
“We need to make key calls – the right calls – but I sense the groundwork is already in place.”
“We have to keep nurturing a mindset to compete on the pitch, earn results and find joy in what we do.”
Chelsea normally set a minimum bar of Champions League qualification each campaign and, when questioned on whether he must guarantee European football, Alonso responded: “Absolutely, that is a target. But reaching it requires doing a lot of things well.
“I’ll play my part in that journey. How we play, how we view ourselves and our approach to each match falls on my shoulders, so I can’t wait to have the entire squad ready.
“We’ve hardly started and these early moments have been cheerful, but without question we aim to be up there [in Europe].”
“The future will reveal everything, but we are full of ambition, and at Chelsea you must mirror that drive and appetite to succeed.”
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