Xabi Alonso makes exciting Morgan Rogers admission and all but confirms £52m transfer

Xabi Alonso has been talking about the signing of Morgan Rogers and also the addition of Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix, though the latter is yet to be officially announced

Xabi Alonso believes Morgan Rogers is the “important player” his Chelsea squad were missing and thinks the club’s record signing will be ready for the start of the Premier League season in less than a month’s time.

The Blues completed a shock £117million deal with Aston Villa last week after stealing a march on Arsenal for Rogers. The 24-year-old, however, has not travelled with his new teammates for Chelsea’s pre-season tour, which has recently started in Sydney, Australia.

Rogers is due some downtime after his World Cup exploits with England with the Three Lions star enjoying a three-week break following the third-place playoff win over France on July 18. Alonso, speaking publicly about Rogers for the first time since the record deal was confirmed, is predicting an instant impact from the new signing – and that he will be ready to take on Fulham on August 24.

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“It’s a great signing,” said Alonso with a smile on his face at Sydney FC’s Sky Park training centre. “In that position we needed an important player and I’m sure there were not many more better options than Morgan Rogers.

“It means a lot for everyone and for the players that are already here as well – they have a good feeling and we’re looking forward to having him in a few weeks.”

Asked about where on the pitch he plans to use Rogers, and if he can play alongside his close friend Cole Palmer, Alonso explained: “One of his best qualities is that he is flexible. In that pocket position, close to the striker, close to our No.10, but he’s played as well on the right side, but more coming in from the left.

“He feels he is enjoying his game, his flow, and I’m sure he will have good connections with the other players around him. If we get those connections right, that will be a great step forward in the quality of our game.”

On a possible connection with Palmer, Alonso added: “I have a plan. I have an idea. I can see them linking really well.

“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 the ball and against the ball, we need to be good.”

Chelsea have also agreed a £52m deal with Crystal Palace to sign defender Maxence Lacroix on a long-term contract. The France international is the Blues’ third summer signing – not including a few pre-agreed deals – after Rogers and Marco Palestra, bringing the club’s total spend to £216m.

Alonso spoke about the significance of building a competitive squad in time for his debut season at Stamford Bridge, while highlighting the need to buy mentally-strong footballers. When asked about the addition of Lacroix, the Chelsea manager said: “We want to build a competitive team.

“We are in that process. We have great quality, great talent, and we need to know what it takes to compete in the Premier League. We want a squad with the right balance between quality and mentality.

“Those things need to match in terms of maturity stage, where you are in your career, the moment that this point is coming for each player, the hunger, the desire, the commitment. But I think that we are starting in a new season with good energy. That’s important.”

Chelsea take on Western Syndey Wanderers at the Accor Stadium in Sydney on Tuesday evening (local time/10:45am UK time) in the first match of the club’s four-country pre-season tour. After that, the Blues face Tottenham in Sydney at the weekend, before jetting off to Hong Kong to play Juventus, then Indonesia for a clash with AC Milan before concluding the tour in Malaysia versus Johor Darul Ta’zim.