Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea Pre-Season Tour Faces Setbacks

Xabi Alonso’s first weeks in charge of Chelsea have already brought an unwelcome complication. The club’s new manager will head out on the preparatory tour of Australia and Asia without two of his summer recruits, as Emanuel Emegha and Geovany Quenda were both left out of the travelling squad.

Chelsea have named a 27-man group for the camp in Sydney. Among them is defender Marco Palestra, their latest signing, who arrives from Atalanta in a £43 million deal and steps straight into Alonso’s plans.

Two other new faces will not.

Emegha injured, questions over Quenda

Emanuel Emegha, the Dutch striker signed after a deal was struck with Strasbourg, has suffered a hamstring injury, according to British newspaper The Sun. The 23-year-old pulled up during a behind-closed-doors friendly against League One side Bromley, a game Chelsea won 3-0.

He had scored in that match, joining João Pedro and Jimmy-Jay Gittens on the scoresheet, before his night ended with the setback that now keeps him at home.

Quenda’s situation is less clear. The 19-year-old right winger from Sporting Lisbon has not been included in the tour squad, yet the club has not disclosed the reason for his absence. For a teenager expected to use pre-season as a launchpad into Alonso’s thinking, it is a conspicuous omission.

There is at least a sliver of optimism. Both Emegha and Quenda could still join up with the group later in the tour if their respective situations improve, giving Alonso a chance to integrate them before the serious football begins.

World Cup toll leaves key men resting

Alonso’s options are also trimmed by the after-effects of the World Cup. Several key players are missing after going deep into the tournament, with Morgan Rogers and club captain Reece James the most notable absentees.

Rogers, a headline £117 million signing from Aston Villa, and James are both on post-World Cup breaks following long campaigns with England. They will return later in the summer to begin their own preparations for the new season.

So Chelsea fly out under a new manager, with a reshaped squad, but already without a handful of important pieces. For Alonso, the tour will still offer a first real look at his inherited core and his expensive newcomers. The question now is how quickly the missing names can catch up once they finally step on the plane.