Chelsea’s new head coach Xabi Alonso has spoken publicly for the first time since taking charge, delivering a clear message about his plans for the squad.
The Spaniard held his maiden press conference ahead of pre-season, using the opportunity to address several key talking points surrounding the club.
Palmer was among the senior players to report back for pre-season training this week, alongside Joao Pedro, Levi Colwill and several new signings.
Alonso was quick to single out the 24-year-old attacking midfielder as someone who will be central to Chelsea’s ambitions in the coming season.
“From the first day, you can see he’s a special talent, a special player,” Alonso told BBC Sport. “It’s not easy to have one of those.”
The Chelsea boss expanded further on what makes Palmer stand out, pointing to the quality and intelligence he has already displayed in training sessions at Stamford Bridge.
“You can notice his quality, how he’s able to play, the right decision in the right spot,” Alonso added, making clear that Palmer’s instincts have impressed him immediately.
Palmer enjoyed a sensational debut campaign at Chelsea in 2023-24, scoring 22 goals and providing 11 assists in 33 Premier League appearances after joining from Manchester City.
Across all competitions, Palmer has directly contributed to 85 goals in 131 Chelsea appearances, helping the club win both the Club World Cup and the Conference League.
Last season proved more difficult, with Palmer managing just 10 goals and one league assist as injuries disrupted his campaign significantly throughout the year.
Despite the stop-start nature of that term, Palmer still produced moments of brilliance, most notably becoming the first player in Premier League history to record three separate first-half hat-tricks, including one against Wolves.
Alonso also spoke enthusiastically about new signing Marco Palestra, the Italian defender who joined from Atalanta after being named Serie A Defender of the Year during a loan spell at Cagliari.
“Marco has many great qualities to adapt to modern football,” said Alonso. “He’s a player that gives you versatility in his positioning whether you are playing a back four or a back five.”
Alonso added that Palestra’s physical and mental attributes give him every reason to believe the defender will settle quickly into Premier League life.
“I’m pretty sure, and I’m positive, that it won’t take a lot of time,” Alonso said. “He has a very good mentality in terms of competitiveness, in terms of his hunger to improve.”
The future of Enzo Fernandez also dominated proceedings, with the Argentine midfielder having been linked with a move to Real Madrid in recent weeks.
Alonso made his position clear, dismissing the speculation and confirming that he wants Fernandez to remain at Stamford Bridge as part of his plans.
When asked what drew him to the Chelsea job, Alonso spoke passionately about the club’s potential and what he hopes to build during his tenure at the helm.
“The excitement is the club, the squad and the opportunity the owners have given me to come to this great club,” he said. “We want to excite the supporters, win games and be successful.”
