Xabi Alonso refused to confirm Chelsea are interested in signing veterans Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson after his first game in charge, a 6-4 pre-season victory against Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday. The new manager said he was looking to build a squad with 'proper balance'.
Transfer strategy shift
Chelsea are understood to be in talks over a surprise move to sign the 35-year-old Welbeck from Brighton, with the club also reportedly interested in signing the 36-year-old Henderson from Brentford. The links to two Premier League stalwarts reflect a revised transfer strategy under Alonso, with Chelsea seeking to recruit more experienced players rather than focusing solely on young talent.
'I'm sure that from today to the last day of the transfer window there will be a lot of links, a lot of rumours, so to be commenting on all of them, it's going to be a hard task,' Alonso said. 'But for sure, we need proper balance in terms of qualities, in terms of positions, in terms of balance. We want to have a complete squad and we want to make a good team.'
Youthful start, star impact
Alonso fielded a youthful side at the Accor Stadium, with Liam Delap and Tosin Adarabioyo the most experienced starters. He waited until the 63rd minute to bring on stars including Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro. The Brazilian forward, who missed out on a World Cup squad place, scored a hat-trick in nine minutes as Chelsea took control.
Joao Pedro scored 20 goals during an excellent debut season for Chelsea, having arrived from Brighton for £60m. Asked about the player's mood, Alonso said: 'Very hungry. Joao is really, really determined to have a great season. He wants to, after a great last year, when he scored many goals. He wants to keep scoring more and more.'
Youngsters shine, defense struggles
Seventeen-year-old Dastan Satpayev opened the scoring after six minutes. The Kazakh forward is yet to sign officially and is playing as a triallist. His goal came from a pass by Ryan Kavuma-McQueen. Chelsea's back four struggled against a lively Wanderers frontline, with Brandon Borrello and Anthony Pantazopoulos winning headers from a corner as the latter scored for the hosts.
The Wanderers took the lead through Aydan Hammond before Dario Essugo made it 2-2. Landon Emenalo's clearance deflected to Dylan Scicluna, who put Sydney 3-2 ahead. Alonso then turned to his bench, and Joao Pedro set up Jamie Gittens to equalise.
Wild second half
Estevao Willian lost possession, allowing Awan Lual to slide the ball through Robert Sanchez's legs for a 4-3 Wanderers lead. But Joao Pedro scored twice in five minutes and scrambled home from a corner to seal his hat-trick and a 6-4 win.
Joao Pedro's performance contrasted with Liam Delap's, who went close twice but failed to score. Assessing Delap's attitude, Alonso said: 'I see him in a good mood, in a good desire to get proper fitness, proper football, feeling good and he's doing great.'
