{"id":21618,"date":"2026-07-26T16:03:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T16:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=21618"},"modified":"2026-07-26T16:03:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T16:03:09","slug":"what-romeo-lavia-told-australian-media-about-xabi-alonso-after-chelsea-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=21618","title":{"rendered":"What Romeo Lavia told Australian media about Xabi Alonso after Chelsea training"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"post-378619\">\n<div class=\"article-follow\">\n<div class=\"article-sharing google-follow\">  <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"28\" height=\"28\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thechelseachronicle.com\/wp-content\/themes\/grv-media\/img\/google-discover.svg\" alt=\"\"\/> <span>Add as preferred source on Google<\/span>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Chelsea held an open training session in front of 4,000 fans at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday, and Romeo Lavia spoke to the media about his new manager, Xabi Alonso, afterwards.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After two behind-closed-doors friendlies against Crawley and Bromley \u2013 resulting in 3-1 and 3-0 wins \u2013 Chelsea are in Australia. They take on Western Sydney Wanderers at the Accom Stadium on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-grvmedia-grv-video GRVMultiVideo\"\/>\n<section class=\"grv-talking-point\" data-trigger=\"vue-sidebar\" data-story-id=\"5a9c74ee-9dfb-4c17-80a3-f12c2bcadb5e\" data-story-name=\"Talk Chelsea\" data-comment-id=\"9f9bce51-3ee6-4734-8904-859fef826480\" data-story-slug=\"talk-chelsea\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__inner\">\n<header class=\"grv-talking-point__header\">  <\/header>\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__content\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__cta\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__title-wrap\">\n<p><h3 class=\"grv-talking-point__title\">Chelsea fans, share your expectations for Xabi Alonso! \ud83c\udfc6<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__embed\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 991px) 100vw, 800px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/Xabi-Alonso-819x1024.png\" alt=\"Xabi Alonso graphic\" class=\"wp-image-376350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/Xabi-Alonso-819x1024.png 819w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/Xabi-Alonso-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/Xabi-Alonso-768x960.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/Xabi-Alonso-912x1140.png 912w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/Xabi-Alonso-600x750.png 600w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/Xabi-Alonso.png 1080w\"\/><\/div><figcaption title=\"Credit: Alexander Hassenstein\/Getty\">Credit: Alexander Hassenstein\/Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>For now, the Blues are yet to officially get their pre-season campaign underway. World Cup players continue to drip back into the squad, while new additions and potential sales continue to rack up.<\/p>\n<p>There was plenty to admire for Chelsea fans from the Blues squad, made up of key players and academy prospects, including 16-year-old duo Reggie Walsh and Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, and Alonso in the middle.<\/p>\n<p>For Chelsea\u2019s fringe players, it is a real chance to showcase their talents before the World Cup players return. Romeo Lavia, for example, has a chance to shine with Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo absent.<\/p>\n<p>Lavia is likely to get significant game time on Tuesday morning when the Blues face one of the best sides in the A-League. He spoke to Stan Sports after training, after being asked about new manager Alonso.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 991px) 100vw, 800px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2287679750-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Chelsea FC Open Training Session\" class=\"wp-image-378598\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2287679750-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2287679750-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2287679750-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2287679750-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2287679750-1-1140x760.jpg 1140w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2287679750-1-750x500.jpg 750w\"\/><\/div><figcaption title=\"SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 26: Head Coach Xabi Alonso of Chelsea FC looks on during a Chelsea FC Open Training Session at Allianz Stadium on July 26, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Ayush Kumar\/Getty Images)\">Photo by Ayush Kumar\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201c2027 is all about getting back to the basics with the new manager and trying to implement his ideas as quickly as possible and then trying to be as successful because that\u2019s what Chelsea is all about,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe arrived late so we had a little bit of a walk to get the flight out of our legs. It\u2019s a great city; it looks very nice. Haven\u2019t seen enough, but today after training, we might see more,\u201d Lavia continued on Sunday.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-romeo-lavia-might-not-be-around-for-xabi-alonso-s-tenure\">Romeo Lavia might not be around for Xabi Alonso\u2019s tenure<\/h2>\n<p>Alonso has been tasked with getting rid of Chelsea\u2019s deadwood this summer. Chelsea have already waved goodbye to four players, including Andrey Santos and Alejandro Garnacho, totalling around \u00a3120m.<\/p>\n<section class=\"grv-talking-point\" data-trigger=\"vue-sidebar\" data-story-id=\"c0268d2f-b80a-47b1-8e8f-303105adcee5\" data-story-name=\"FA Cup\" data-comment-id=\"6c4ebe82-4687-4347-bfa0-b71e10a09af7\" data-story-slug=\"fa-cup\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__inner\">\n<header class=\"grv-talking-point__header\">  <\/header>\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__content\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__cta\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__title-wrap\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__title-content\">\n<h3 class=\"grv-talking-point__title\">What would you do with Romeo Lavia after all of his injury problems? \ud83e\udd15<\/h3>\n<p class=\"grv-talking-point__subtitle\">His passing numbers against Wrexham in the FA Cup were solid \ud83d\udc4c<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__embed\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 991px) 100vw, 800px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/03\/Romeo-Lavia-819x1024.png\" alt=\"Romeo Lavia's passing stats vs Wrexham\" class=\"wp-image-356637\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/03\/Romeo-Lavia-819x1024.png 819w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/03\/Romeo-Lavia-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/03\/Romeo-Lavia-768x960.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/03\/Romeo-Lavia-912x1140.png 912w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/03\/Romeo-Lavia-600x750.png 600w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/03\/Romeo-Lavia.png 1080w\"\/><\/div><figcaption title=\"WREXHAM, WALES - MARCH 07: Romeo Lavia of Chelsea runs with the ball whilst under pressure from George Dobson of Wrexham during the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between Wrexham and Chelsea on March 07, 2026 in Wrexham, Wales. (Photo by Darren Walsh\/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)\">Photo by Darren Walsh\/Chelsea FC via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Plenty are expected to go, including Liam Delap, Filip Jorgensen, Benoit Badiashile, Dario Essugo, and more. Lavia is another that may be sold, with the former Man City midfielder generating some interest.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, Monaco are said to have tabled a \u00a325m bid for Lavia, a bid that Chelsea have turned down. The reply was probably unsurprising given Chelsea spent \u00a358m on him, and would have to accept a loss.<\/p>\n<div class=\"see-more-wrapper lazy see-more-open see-more-blank extra-content\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.thechelseachronicle.com\/news\/what-romeo-lavia-told-australian-media-about-xabi-alonso-after-chelsea-training\/none\" data-type=\"subscribe\">\n<div class=\"see-more subscribe\">\n<figure class=\"newsletter\">\n<div><svg class=\"loading\" width=\"118\" height=\"36\" viewbox=\"0 0 118 36\"><use href=\"#dots-svg\"\/><\/svg><\/p>\n<div class=\"signup\"><span class=\"hf\">Join Our Newsletter<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><script>grvLoadAnalytics = () => {(function(d,s,i){var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)(0),j=d.createElement(s);j.async=true;j.src=\"https:\/\/www.googletagmanager.com\/gtag\/js?id=\"+i;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(document,'script','G-E7VRWQHDP6');(function(d,s,i){if(!\/callback=in\/.test(window.location.search)){var e=d.createElement(s);var n=d.getElementsByTagName(s)(0);e.type=\"text\/javascript\";e.async=true;e.src=\"https:\/\/static.chartbeat.com\/js\/chartbeat.js\";n.parentNode.insertBefore(e,n);}})(document,\"script\",\"G-E7VRWQHDP6\");(function(){let s=document.createElement(\"script\");s.async=true;s.dataset.domain=\"thechelseachronicle.com\/MFj4XQ\";s.src=\"https:\/\/api.publytics.net\/js\/script.manual.ping.min.js\";document.getElementsByTagName(\"head\")(0).appendChild(s);})();if(!\/callback=in\/.test(window.location.search)){setTimeout(function(){!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,'script','https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');fbq('init','663509325503632');fbq('track','PageView');fbq('track','ViewContent',{content_name:'What Romeo Lavia told Australian media about Xabi Alonso after Chelsea training',content_category:'News',content_ids:(378619,\"romeo-lavia\",\"xabi-alonso\"),content_type:'post',});},3000);}}<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Add as preferred source on Google Chelsea held an open training session in front of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21618\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}