Xabi Alonso downplays Welbeck, Henderson links after Chelsea's 6-4 pre-season win

• 'There will be a lot of transfer links, a lot of rumours'
• Chelsea hit back to beat Western Sydney Wanderers 6-4

Publication date: 2026-07-28 15:40:46

Xabi Alonso refused to confirm Chelsea are interested in signing veterans Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson after his first game in charge of the team, a 6-4 pre-season victory against Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday, but said he was looking to build a squad that had "proper balance."

Chelsea are understood to be in talks over a surprise move to sign the 35-year-old Welbeck from Brighton, with the club also reportedly interested in signing the 36-year-old Henderson from Brentford. The links to two Premier League stalwarts reflect a revised transfer strategy under Alonso, with Chelsea seeking to recruit more experienced players into their squad as opposed to being solely focused on signing young players, often tying them to lengthy contracts.

"I'm sure that from today to the last day of the transfer window there will be a lot of links, a lot of rumours, so to be commenting on all of them, it's going to be a hard task," Alonso said. "But for sure, we need proper balance in terms of qualities, in terms of positions, in terms of balance. We want to have a complete squad and we want to make a good team."

Youthful lineup and star substitutions

The new Chelsea manager fielded a youthful side at the Accor Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park in Homebush, with Liam Delap and Tosin Adarabioyo the most experienced members of the starting lineup. Alonso waited until the 63rd minute to bring on a host of star names, including Cole Palmer and João Pedro.

The Brazilian forward, who missed out on a place in Carlo Ancelotti's World Cup squad, made a significant impact off the bench, scoring a hat-trick in just nine minutes as Chelsea took control of the game against their A-League opponents.

João Pedro scored 20 goals during an excellent debut season for Chelsea, having arrived from Brighton for £60m 12 months ago. Asked about the player's mood before the upcoming campaign, Alonso said: "Very hungry. João is really, really determined to have a great season. He wants to, after a great last year, when he scored many goals. He wants to keep scoring more and more."

Young talent shines

A number of Chelsea's youngsters showed plenty of promise, with the 17-year-old Dastan Satpayev opening the scoring after six minutes. The Kazakh forward is yet to sign officially for the club and is playing in pre-season as a triallist. His opening goal came from a defence-splitting pass from another teenager, Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, with Satpayev smashing the ball home at the near post.

Defensive struggles

Chelsea's back four struggled in the first half against a lively Wanderers frontline, and their reported new set-piece coach, Aston Villa's Austin MacPhee, will have plenty to work on judging by the ease with which Brandon Borrello and Anthony Pantazopoulos won headers from a corner as the latter scored at the back post for the hosts.

Match summary

The Wanderers took the lead through Aydan Hammond before a lovely finish from Portuguese midfielder Dário Essugo made it 2-2 at the break. The goals kept coming in the second half when left-back Landon Emenalo, who impressed in attack, saw his clearance deflected into the path of Dylan Scicluna, who put the Sydney side 3-2 ahead. Alonso then turned to his bench, and his substitutions made an immediate impact. João Pedro held off a number of challenges on the edge of the box before pulling the trigger.