The two experienced players we want? One club threatened to report us. The other called our approach disrespectful and won’t entertain talks.
If both deals collapse, get ready for: “We tried to add experience to the squad briefing again .”
From takes like "What does he do on the pitch?" to "He only gets assists," to "He only scores tap-ins," to "He can't score from outside the box."
Everything they asked for has been accomplished.
🚨 David Ornestein 🗣️ Granit Xhaka is a top target for Xabi Alonso. He played under him, succeeded, and enjoyed a great relationship with him at Bayer Leverkusen. We revealed on The Athletic that Chelsea have made an offer of £8 million.
That bid has been rejected. Sunderland say they have no intention of selling him. They see him as a key player, their captain, and someone who will lead them into Europe next season.
It does seem that Xhaka would like to make the move and reunite with Xabi Alonso.
This is the sort of profile that might not have appealed to Chelsea previously, and certainly not if Xabi Alonso wasn't involved. And I'm not sure Chelsea would have appealed to Xhaka either if it wasn't for Xabi Alonso. But it is a fascinating situation, and let's see where it goes from here.
🚨Xabi Alonso was a big reason Marco Palestra chose Chelsea.
Palestra said he felt “a lot of energy” from Xabi and believes he is one of the best managers in the world because of what he achieved at Bayer Leverkusen.
He also revealed they had two conversations before the move, with Xabi explaining exactly what he wanted from him. #NG67
🚨Marco Palestra. 🗣️“I felt the energy as soon as I came here. Xabi spoke to me, and of course Chelsea are world champions. It’s one of the biggest clubs in history, playing in the best league in the world.” #NG67
🚨Fabrizio Romano 🗣️Chelsea have officially begun work under Xabi Alonso, and one of the first names to watch is Pep Echeverria.
Official club-to-club negotiations with Rayo Vallecano have started. The player has already informed Rayo Vallecano that he wants to join Chelsea and work under Xabi Alonso, who knows him very well.
The deal now depends on reaching an agreement between the clubs, but Chelsea are optimistic that a transfer for Pep Echeverria will be completed. #NG67
Fabrizio Romano 🎙️Malo Gusto is appreciated by Enzo Maresca. At Manchester City, Maresca is a big fan of him and City are considering him as one of their wing-back options.
However, Chelsea have made their position clear: they want £75 million for Malo Gusto.
Manchester City are not willing to pay that fee. So the situation is simple: either Chelsea lower the price later in the summer, or City will move on to another wing-back target. #NG67
Arsenal fan, TY 🎙️"I don't think Granit Xhaka will go to Chelsea because he's loved at Sunderland and he's a pivotal player for them. The question is, would he play week in, week out at Chelsea"
🚨Despite the disruption, Chelsea are now said to be delighted with the outcome. They believe they handled the situation correctly, secured significant compensation, and are excited about Xabi Alonso taking charge this WEEK #NG67
🚨Alex Crook 🗣️ "I've been told in the last 10 minutes that Chelsea did grant Maresca permission to speak to Manchester City about potentially replacing Guardiola at the end of the season" #NG67
Under Clearlake managers & players keep twerking for other clubs.
Yet some Chelsea fans crucify the managers and players instead of holding the owners accountable.
How many times did we face this kind of nonsense under Roman Abramovich? In just a few years under Clearlake, we have dealt with more BS than we did during Roman’s entire ownership.
Enzo Maresca 🗣️"At the end of December 2025, I made the difficult decision to leave Chelsea. In full below.
"The decision was only mine. My resignation from Chelsea opened a path for me to join Manchester City, which is a club I knew very well. I am ecstatic that I have now joined Manchester City.
"I recognise that my departure from Chelsea in the middle of the season caused disruption for the club and I apologise for that. It was neither my intention nor my wish.
"I was treated well by everyone at Chelsea and together we achieved great success and memories that I will always treasure.
"I am grateful to the club, the owners and the fans for giving me the opportunity."