Chelsea introduces Xabi Alonso: "I want us to be brave, play good football and compete"

Although it was made official in mid-May that Xabi Alonso would be Chelsea's new manager, the London club only introduced him today.

At the press conference held at Stamford Bridge, the Spanish strategist did not hide his excitement.

"The excitement is great. The very fact that I have been given the opportunity to be at this club. The goal is to create a connection with the fans, to win, to be successful," said Alonso.

As a coach, he led Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid. He won the double with the "pharmacists", while he did not fare well in Madrid.

"I want to enjoy myself. I will try to cooperate with everyone at the club, from the sporting director, through the players to all the employees. This is a club with huge potential. Of course, we have to make important decisions, the right decisions. A big and strong base has already been built, now we need to continue building the mentality to be competitive on the pitch."

The "blues" have had a turbulent season. After parting ways with Enzo Maresca, Liam Rosenior failed to keep the team in the European competition zone, so Chelsea will only be playing on the domestic stage in the upcoming season.

"Certainly the goal is for Chelsea to play in European competitions. But to achieve that goal you need to do a lot of good things. We have to get into the process well, know how we are going to play, how we want to see ourselves, how we want to approach every game wherever we play. That's my job. I'm really looking forward to it. Time will tell, but we are ambitious, hungry, and that's what you have to have at Chelsea - the desire to succeed."

Alonso has a tough job ahead of him.

"We're starting from scratch. I see that the energy is good. The excitement is there and we have to prepare well. We have enough time. In order to progress, players have to constantly feel hungry and have a passion for the game. You know how competitive the Premier League is and that's why we have to prepare, be determined, strong in the fundamentals of how we want to play."

He has a clear idea of ​​what he wants his Chelsea to look like.

"We want to be brave, to play good football, to compete, but above all we need to have the right mentality. That is the foundation of everything. It will certainly be a process, but we want to show the readiness to deal with the best in an exceptional competition."

One of the main topics among fans of the former European champions is the status of Enzo Fernandes. The big question is whether the Argentine will continue to play at Stamford Bridge next season.

"We talked, but what we talked about remains private."

There is also Kol Palmer, from whom Alonso believes he will get the best.

"He has done a few training sessions. And from day one you can see that he has a special talent. He is a special player. It is not easy to have a player like that in the team today, you can immediately notice his qualities, how he is able to play, how he makes decisions. He came in good spirits and with the intention of having a great season. We are looking forward to getting the best out of him. If we manage to build a strong team with the right stability to find key players, Cole will certainly be one of them," concluded Xabi Alonso.