The scramble for last minute reinforcements mean that Chelsea are on the verge of signing Marco Alonso from Fiorentina for a reported fee of around £23 million. Antonio Conte has been keen to add defensive reinforcements to a side having pursued Giorgio Chiellini and the likes of Alessio Romagnoli over the summer.
Having let Baba Rahman join Schalke on loan, the Chelsea manager has identified the 25-year-old as the one to fill the void at left back and central defence. Alonso has previously been seen in the Premier League wearing the colours of Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland. His last dalliance with English football though was seen in 2014, when he was signed by then incumbent Gus Poyet for Sunderland.
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The Spaniard was a part of the youth academy at Real Madrid and he competed with Real Madrid Castilla in the Segunda Division B. Alonso, signed for Bolton as a teenager and played at the Reebok Stadium for three seasons before leaving for Sunderland en route to Fiorentina later on.
Vincenzo Montella, on being handed the job as the Fiorentina manager, was impressed by the young Alonso gave the Spaniard enough chances to establish himself as a regular. Considered good in the air and strong in the tackle, Conte is aware of what the Spanish defender can bring to his squad. Although he isn’t blessed with blistering pace, he does possess an excellent left foot which helps him deliver pin-point crosses from the wing.
His arrival ensures that Azpilicueta can switch to the right which is his natural position. He is the son of the former Barcelona and Atlético Madrid midfielder of the same name and the grandson of the former Real defender Marquitos.
Alonso’s arrival at Stamford Bridge will be the fourth arrival this summer. Already arrivals such as N’Golo Kante and Michy Batshuayi have been an integral part of the side, with the former’s all action display helping balance the defensive side of things. Batshuayi, on the other hand, was instrumental in the game against Watford, coming on as a substitute to score the equalising goal.
Chelsea’s first choice centre backs are already above the age of 30 and the arrival of Alonso who can also operate as a left sided central defender can help Conte implement his favoured 3-5-2 formation. Chelsea currently are tied at the top on 9 points with both Manchester clubs and Conte will hope that the addition of the 25-year-old to his squad, will strengthen his squad.
