Xabi Alonso is set to inherit an enormous squad at Chelsea when he takes office on July 1, as he welcomes back Chelsea’s loanees and new signings. Dastan Satpaev will be a new face at Cobham.
Marc Cucurella will not be in pre-season training, however. The left-back has completed a move to Real Madrid for a fee north of £50m, including add-ons. There are likely to be plenty of others that depart.
Chelsea are set to welcome five new signings to the club, though Valentin Barco is yet to be confirmed. Alongside the Argentine, Emmanuel Emegha, Geovany Quenda, Denner and Satpaev will all arrive.
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Hall is being linked with a return to Chelsea following Marc Cucurella's move to Real Madrid 🇪🇸
Satpaev was confirmed in February 2025, joining Chelsea on a five-year deal with the option of another year. A £3m fee was agreed, but Satpaev could not complete his move until he had turned 18.
He will officially be allowed to join Chelsea when he turns 18 on August 12, meaning it is unclear if he will actually be given permission to play for the Blues in pre-season fixtures. But Alonso knows him well.
Xabi Alonso already knows all there is to know about Satpaev
While in charge at Real Madrid, Alonso took his side to Kazakhstan to take on Satpaev’s Kairat Almaty. It resulted in a 5-0 win for Alonso and the Spanish giants, with Kylian Mbappe scoring a hat-trick.
Fast forward to now, and Kairat owner Kairat Boranbayev was asked about Satpaev’s impending move to Chelsea. He says that he spoke to Alonso after Madrid’s win, and says Alonso had done his homework.
Boranbayev was asked: “The club has appointed Xabi Alonso as head coach. What are your expectations? Will Dastan remain with the first team, or is there a possibility that he could be sent to Strasbourg?”
“Honestly, I don’t know (laughs). I can only speak about my own club. But what I do know is that when we played against Real Madrid, I had a conversation with Xabi Alonso after the match,” Boranbayev said.
“At that time, he told me that they had been closely monitoring Dastan Satpaev. Alonso knows Dastan well and said that, out of the current squad, he was the only player they had studied in detail.
“He knows his qualities and has seen the way he plays. Personally, I am very confident that Dastan can establish himself in the first team,” the Kairat Almaty owner concluded, as per Scout in Eurasia on X.
How has Satpaev played since his Chelsea move was confirmed?
Despite his tender age, Satpaev has now played 57 times for his boyhood club at senior level. An impressive amount given he is still so incredibly young, and yet he’s also had a hand in 34 goals.
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Satpaev, who has been used on both flanks, in the 10 role and even as a lone striker by Kairat Almaty since coming into the first team, has clocked up 24 goals himself. He’s also laid on 10 assists.
This season, the youngster has bagged nine goals in 27 appearances. They include three goals in the qualification stage of the Champions League, and one in the group stages. Chelsea have got a real gem.
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