XABI ALONSO has lauded the “instant impact” that Morgan Rogers can have as he teases major plan to start him alongside Cole Palmer.
The former Aston Villa superstar, 24, made his record-breaking £117million move to the capital last week.
Xabi Alonso teased a plan to make the most out of Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers Credit: Getty
Rogers and Palmer both starred in Manchester City’s academy Credit: Manchester City
Palmer, also 24, will be there to welcome him with open arms as the pair already call themselves their “best friends in football”.
Alonso – who is in Australia on pre-season – revealed: “I have a plan. I have an idea. I can see them linking really well.
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“We need to have a good mix.
“If we get that balance right and those special players in the right positions, with good control, then we will be more competitive with and without the ball.”
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The Rogers-Palmer chemistry has already been tried and tested from their days in Manchester City’s academy.
But while Palmer laps up the Aussie heat on Chelsea’s pre-season tour, Rogers has retreated to the sunloungers in the hopes of some downtime post-World Cup.
Alonso added: “You need players who can have that almost instant impact.
“I’m sure Morgan won’t need much time to adapt to the club, the system and his team-mates.
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“In that position we NEEDED an important player and I’m sure there were not many better options than Morgan Rogers.
“That was the idea, to get a top player, and Morgan is one of them.”
The Blues could be lining up fairly differently to last season, having hijacked the move for Marco Palestra.
They have also waved farewell to Marc Cucurella and Alejandro Garnacho.
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Chelsea are set to face their first battle under Alonso against Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday.
They will then hope to see off Tottenham, Juventus, and others as they travel to Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
The Blues will conclude their pre-season with a final friendly against Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge.
Alonso reported that Rogers will be ready to travel to Fulham for their first game of the season.
