A group of 27 Chelsea players has departed London for Sydney, marking the beginning of the club’s pre-season tour across Australia and Asia. The tour provides manager Xabi Alonso with an opportunity to work closely with his squad, both on and off the training pitch. Five matches are scheduled during the tour, all of which will be broadcast live on CFC+.
The first fixture will see Chelsea face A-League side Western Sydney Wanderers at Accor Stadium on Tuesday, 28 July. Following this, the same venue will host a match against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, 1 August. The team will then travel to Hong Kong to play Serie A club Juventus on Wednesday, 5 August.
The tour continues in Jakarta, Indonesia, where Chelsea will meet another Italian club, AC Milan, at GBK Stadium Jakarta on Saturday, 8 August. The pre-season schedule concludes in Malaysia with a match against Johor Darul Ta’zim at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Sunday, 9 August.
Among the players making the trip is summer signing Marco Palestra, alongside several academy graduates from Cobham. Additional first-team players are anticipated to join the squad at various stages of the tour, with updates on their arrival to be provided through official club channels.
Pre-season preparations and squad details
Prior to departing for Australia, Chelsea engaged in pre-season preparations closer to home. The team secured a 3-0 victory in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Bromley. In this match, Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, and Emmanuel Emegha were among the goalscorers. This friendly win followed a 3-1 victory against Crawley Town, where Gittens and Emegha also found the net.
Landon Emenalo, son of former Chelsea director of football Michael Emenalo, started the friendly against Bromley. Other youth prospects who featured in the match included Reggie Walsh, Reggie Watson, and Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli. Emenalo was the sole youth player to start both pre-season friendlies. These young players, along with Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, are expected to be part of the touring squad in Australia.
Gittens, who had an initial season at Stamford Bridge with one goal and five assists across 27 appearances after joining from Borussia Dortmund, will be looking to build on his recent form. Similarly, Emegha aims to continue scoring after his transfer from Strasbourg, where he netted eight goals in 18 appearances for the French club.
The confirmed travelling squad includes goalkeepers Filip Jorgensen, Robert Sanchez, Ted Curd, and Teddy Sharman-Lowe. The defenders are Josh Acheampong, Tosin Adarabioyo, Aaron Anselmino, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Jorrel Hato, Marco Palestra, Mamadou Sarr, and Tayo Subuloye.
Midfielders on the tour are Landon Emenalo, Dario Essugo, Omari Kellyman, Romeo Lavia, Madhi Nicoll-Jazuli, Reggie Walsh, and Reggie Watson. The forwards include Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens, Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, Dastan Satpeyev, and Estevao Willian.
Player roles and future plans
Xabi Alonso has reportedly given Cole Palmer a prominent role within his new setup, indicating the England international is central to the manager’s early plans. Palmer‘s influence at the club has been growing, and Alonso appears to view the player as a key component for his tactical approach. The manager’s philosophy is said to be built on positional discipline, high pressing, and controlling matches through intelligent build-up play.
Observations from training suggest Alonso is experimenting with team structure and specific player responsibilities in anticipation of the new campaign. The decision to give Palmer a defined role reflects the confidence the coaching staff have in his ability to drive the team forward. The pre-season tour will offer further insights into Alonso‘s strategies for the upcoming season.
In other team news, Alejandro Garnacho will not be part of the tour, having agreed to a season-long loan deal with Aston Villa. Reports indicate that Villa has an obligation to buy Garnacho for £42.5m, subject to certain conditions. Conversely, Chelsea announced the signing of Harrison Bettoni from Wigan Athletic. Bettoni is expected to participate in pre-season with Chelsea‘s youth team, with plans for him to play under-21s football this season before a potential loan move next term.
The club also launched its new away kit for the 2026/27 season, which features a black base with gold trim, said to be a tribute to their 1990s era.
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Source: chelseafc.com
