Xabi Alonso is yet to even officially sign in as the new Chelsea manager, although club legend Gianfranco Zola is optimistic that he will enjoy a successful first season at the club.
Alonso gets to work on July 1, although has been included in talks surrounding early summer transfers at the club.
The large majority of these have revolved around exits so far. Marc Cucurella has already departed, and Enzo Fernandez is pushing to join him at Real Madrid.
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Gianfranco Zola predicts success for Chelsea under Xabi Alonso
Friday saw Alonso learn Chelsea’s fate as far as fixtures go, and he will start off with a West London derby against Fulham, which could see him come up against his replacement at Madrid, Alvaro Arbeloa.
There is already a quiet confidence amongst supporters that the lack of European games as a distraction will be a boost to the Blues this season, and Gianfranco Zola echoes those views.
He told the Mail Online that he is confident Chelsea will thrive now they have Alonso at the helm going into the upcoming campaign.
He said: “We all know it hasn’t been a good season but we all know we will come back strong. I’m looking forward to the next season. It’s going to be challenging but I think we will do well under Xabi.”
It currently remains to be seen what system Alonso adopts at Stamford Bridge, with him finding success during his time at Bayer Leverkusen operating in a back three.
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Alonso’s back three could suit Chelsea greatly
Levi Colwill has been tipped to improve under Alonso, and it can be thought that he is one of the players who would love to feature in a back three.
Chelsea would need to sign an experienced centre-back, but have plenty of exciting depth at the back in the form of Jorrel Hato and Josh Acheampong.
The likes of Reece James and Cole Palmer could feature in multiple positions in that system, making them an unpredictable prospect for opposition sides.
Making quality signings is going to be imperative for the Blues though, and it is believed that Alonso will have far more of a say on this than the likes of Enzo Maresca were allowed.
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