Two new coaches well-acquainted to each other make their Premier League managerial debuts on Monday night as Chelsea make the short journey across the capital to take on Fulham in the final match of the opening weekend.
The Cottagers replaced the long-serving Marco Silva over the summer with ex-Real Madrid chief Alvaro Arbeloa, whilst Chelsea also plumped for a former Bernabeu boss in the shape of Xabi Alonso. The pair will need little introduction given their shared time together in their playing days for Real, Liverpool and also the Spain national team. That friendship, however, will be firmly parked on Monday night when battle commences, according to Arbeloa.
“A few days ago, but we didn’t talk about football. Our families are coming over to London,” Arbeloa said, when quizzed on the topic of his interaction with Alonso on the eve of this clash.
“We are very good friends. But for 90 minutes we will give everything for our clubs. For 90 minutes we are not friends. We both want to win that game. We analysed Chelsea, the way we do every team. I know him well because I watched so many of his games, but we know it won’t be easy. They’re a very strong squad with top players. They haveFulham a made good signings. We have to be ready.”
Fulham go into the game off the back of a summer that has seen them not only lose their manager but also a clutch of senior players and experienced faces such as Harry Wilson and Raul Jimenez.
Coming through the door are players with little experience of the top flight in England. Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios checked in, like Arbeloa, from Real Madrid whilst Shea Charles – snapped up for £30m from Championship side Southampton – is another whose progress will be fascinating to witness this term. Familiar names remain though, with the likes of Bernd Leno, Sander Berge and Antonee Robinson still in situ at Craven Cottage.
As for Chelsea, it’s been another summer of big-spending with ample new players through the door to go with Alonso’s appointment. The key addition is undoubtedly the signing of midfielder Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for what, at £117million, is a record for an English player – just eclipsing the £116m Manchester City paid Nottingham Forest for Elliot Anderson this summer.
Other notable arrivals at Stamford Bridge include Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson as well as former Crystal Palace centre-half Max Lacroix. Rogers is highly likely to be thrown in for a full debut here and it will be intriguing to see how he intertwines with fellow England man Cole Palmer as the Blues look to begin yet another new era with an opening night win.
After a shambolic 2025-26 campaign that saw ample men take up and then vacate the hotseat, Alonso will be aiming for a strong start as he looks to restore pride in this particular corner of West London.
