Xabi Alonso Aims for Chelsea to Be Among the Best: Time Will Tell Where We End Up

London, July 14 (TASR) - New Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso has challenged his squad to cultivate a hunger for victory. In his inaugural press conference, the Spaniard also revealed he has already spoken with captain Enzo Fernandez.

The 44-year-old manager shared his thoughts on the ongoing World Cup, reminisced about his own triumph with Spain in the 2010 tournament, and outlined the club's plans for players returning later after the competition.

The former Real Madrid coach focused more on his footballing philosophy than on predictions for Chelsea's performance in his debut season. However, he did emphasize that qualifying for European competitions is a key objective.

"That's certainly one of our goals. To achieve it, we need to do many things right. We must be clear about how we want to play, how we want to be perceived, and the approach we want to take into every match, regardless of the opponent or venue.

That's my job. I'm really looking forward to having the full squad available. We currently have several offers and ongoing discussions, but it's still early days. Regardless, we want to be among the best, and time will tell where we end up. However, we are ambitious, and at Chelsea, we must share this energy, ambition, and hunger for success," Alonso stated, as reported by DPA.

He also stressed his desire for Fernandez to remain with the team. The Argentine midfielder has been the subject of speculation this summer. Earlier this month, Real Madrid denied interest in signing the 2022 World Cup winner, whose national team will face England in the semi-finals of the tournament in the USA, Mexico, and Canada on Wednesday evening.

"Yes, we spoke. But as you can appreciate, the content of our conversation will remain private. But yes, we talked," Alonso confirmed. When asked if he wished for Fernandez to stay at Stamford Bridge, he succinctly replied: "Yes." Fernandez is one of four Chelsea players still at the World Cup, alongside English duo Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah, and Frenchman Malo Gusto.

The Spaniard, who signed a four-year contract with the West London club, sidestepped a direct answer when asked if he believed he would be given enough time to build a title-contending team. However, he added: "I am confident that we have the ambition to win many games and be competitive. We need to make important decisions, establish strong principles, a robust mentality, and the right club culture. Time will tell what happens. I won't talk about what will happen in May now; it's too early for that. But I am confident and optimistic that we can have an excellent season."