Newly promoted Coventry City are among three Premier League sides keen to sign Chelsea and Ukraine winger Mykhailo Mudryk, 25. (Mail - subscription required), external
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Should a club build a new stadium or upgrade its current home in a bid to maintain some history? How significant is a new ground in terms of revenue generated? Will it move the needle?
BBC Sport has worked with football finance expert Kieran Maguire to consider the impact a new home has.
Take a look at your club's matchday revenue figures from 2024-25 below and get the full article here.
*Figures in millions of pounds
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your views on set-piece coach Austin MacPhee joining Chelsea from Aston Villa and how he could improve the Blues.
Here are some of your comments:
Dan: I think we will see more and more of these 'transfers' of specialist coaches in the future. Set-pieces in particular have rightly been identified as a key advantage area for teams to score and defend. My only worry is that instead of a player taking the opposition on to get in the box, the player looks to make the most of an innocuous challenge in an attempt to manufacture a scenario similar to an NFL playbook. I don't know about anyone else, but I always like to see a long-range screamer or a player skilfully dribbling round others from open-play rather than a free-kick or a six-yard tap-in from a corner.
Dave: Anything to help improve the team and produce more victories is a bonus to me. Set-pieces are such a pivotal role within the game that any advantage you can gain is priceless.
Phil: Based on Aston Villa last year, it seems like an excellent coup and it will certainly be an improvement on who we had last year.
Stuart: If he can teach us how to defend corners, then he'll be a great appointment.
James: MacPhee joining can only be a positive after seeing what he did at Villa. Hopefully we have the right players to execute his strategy. This is a game of fine margins and any added tactical advantage is a plus.
Image source, Getty ImagesJordan Henderson says joining Chelsea "was a huge opportunity" and one that he just couldn't turn down.
The 36-year-old midfielder joins the Blues after reaching a mutual agreement with Brentford to terminate his contract.
Like Danny Welbeck, Henderson has signed a two-year-deal.
"Given the size of the club, the manager, who I have great admiration for, and the quality of the players, this was a huge opportunity I couldn't turn down," Henderson said.
"I was also so impressed with how much the ownership want Chelsea to be successful and move in the right direction.
"For me, it's about giving everything every single day, both on and off the field, to help the players around me and the team as much as possible. I'm very excited to get going."
Henderson joined Brentford last summer after spells abroad with Dutch side Ajax and Saudi club Al Ettifaq. That followed a hugely successful spell at Liverpool, where he won six major honours, including the Champions League and Premier League.
He made 34 appearances for the Bees across all competitions, with the club finishing ninth in the Premier League.
Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesXabi Alonso held discreet meetings in London and his hometown of San Sebastian over three weeks in early May to ensure Chelsea was the right fit.
"I had a view of Chelsea from the outside," he explained, revealing how carefully he considered the move to Stamford Bridge and the early discussions with sporting directors about his vision for the club.
"I could see the positives and my concerns, so I addressed them. We had the same ideas, the same analysis, to start building momentum together. That is why we are taking these steps together and making decisions to build a good team."
That vision extends to the signing of £117m forward Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa. He was Chelsea's first-choice attacking target and was secured despite interest from Premier League champions Arsenal.
"We have taken a few steps but I feel that we can still take a few more," Alonso said when asked about the backing he has received.
As ever at this time of year, Chelsea are open for business.
There is genuine excitement around the arrival of striker Danny Welbeck, 35, who will now join the squad for pre-season.
Midfielder Jordan Henderson, 36, is also set to arrive after Chelsea were unable to secure Alonso's former Bayer Leverkusen captain Granit Xhaka from Sunderland.
It is a senior revolution at the Premier League's youngest team.
Chelsea have previously suffered from indiscipline, a perceived softness defending set-pieces and, perhaps most importantly, a lack of leadership and dressing-room culture.
"You need the right balance of personalities and stages of maturity, with players in their early 20s, early 30s and everything in between," Alonso said of reshaping of his squad.
Culture is another area Alonso knows he needs to address. "In the Basque Country, we have a strong sense of collective purpose and culture," he said.
"The situation was not as bad as it looked at the end of last season," he said when explaining why he took the job.
"There is big potential to improve and let's see how long it takes."
One month into the role, Alonso is encouraged that much of what he hoped would happen is already taking shape. Yet there remains an element of the unknown as he looks to leave his mark on one of the Premier League's biggest clubs, this time as a manager rather than a player.
"For sure, it had to come a lot from here," he said, pointing first to his heart and then to his head.
"And also from here," he added, pointing to his stomach.
"It has to come from the gut. I felt it was good timing for the club and good timing for myself. It was a good opportunity and I felt I had the chance to enjoy being a manager."
Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesHighly rated set-piece coach Austin MacPhee has joined Chelsea's pre-season tour in Hong Kong after moving from Aston Villa.
The Scottish coach, 46, joins for an undisclosed release-clause fee in his contract amid competition from other Premier League and Saudi Pro League teams.
MacPhee has also been working with the Portugal national team for the past five years under Roberto Martinez, who resigned after the World Cup.
New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has space in his current backroom staff as previous set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva, who joined from Brentford for £750,000 in 2024, is moving away from a touchline role into a more behind-the-scenes position.
MacPhee has built a strong reputation as a set-piece coach, with one of Aston Villa's highest scoring seasons in that area coming in 2023-24 when they were behind only Bayer Leverkusen for set-piece goals (excluding penalties) across Europe's top five leagues with 25.
Do you think set-pieces are an area where the Blues need to improve this coming season under Xabi Alonso and is MacPhee a welcome addition to the coaching staff?
Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesWatching Xabi Alonso coach his Chelsea team conjures flashbacks of his playing days at Liverpool and Real Madrid.
The 44-year-old, who won the World Cup with Spain in 2010, is fully involved in training sessions, teeing up players with accurate short passes before hitting his trademark cross-field balls at Sky Park, the home of Sydney FC.
In a hotel in Sydney's Darling Harbour, Alonso detailed the long path to Chelsea through his father, Periko Alonso, a fellow Spain international and former Real Sociedad and Barcelona player.
As a child, Xabi would stand next to Periko in the kitchen as he prepared his training sessions for the next day. Perhaps it was inevitable he would follow in his footsteps.
"The road was not unknown for me. I had seen that at home," he said.
"I'm not saying it was meant to be, but I had to try it. I wanted to try it, but not straight to the top level. I started in the under-14s and that was the way I wanted. It felt natural, not to rush."
Alonso took his time coaching in youth football, but it soon felt - much like in his playing career - as though he could only achieve success.
After taking over Bayer Leverkusen, previously nicknamed 'Neverkusen' in Germany because their best teams had only ever been able to finish second, Alonso made history in 2024 by leading them to an unprecedented domestic double: a first Bundesliga title and a first DFB-Pokal triumph since 1993.
Alonso says that achievement was "unexpectedly fantastic". However, after joining Real Madrid in May last year, he left by mutual consent following reports in Spain of disputes with key players such as Vinicius Jr.
"Luckily, there are not too many scars in my career," he said of his early Madrid exit. "I got a scar, now it is healed and I am determined to enjoy this next step as I did when I started in Madrid.
"For the things that didn't work, I have been very critical of myself, thinking about what I could have done better. You learn from the disappointment of things."
It is fascinating to see how a character like Alonso, with 15 major titles, deals with a rare disappointment.
In the four months between Alonso leaving Madrid and joining Chelsea, he used that time to "reset energy".
Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter in Hong Kong
Image source, Getty ImagesChelsea manager Xabi Alonso is set to receive a new wave of reinforcements during pre-season, including Mykhailo Mudryk after he was cleared to play again.
The Ukraine international, 25, flew overnight to arrive in Hong Kong on Monday alongside Danny Welbeck as the Blues prepare for a pre-season match against Juventus.
Winger Geovany Quenda, who joined from Sporting for £40m, has also arrived, along with goalkeeper Mike Penders, as Alonso teased an open race for the number-one shirt with Robert Sanchez.
Moises Caicedo and Nicolas Jackson were late arrivals but were not selected for the 2-1 defeat by Tottenham on Saturday.
Alonso said they would play against Juventus, while the involvement of the other late arrivals will be assessed before matches against AC Milan and Johor Darul Ta'zim next weekend.
Chelsea have submitted an improved offer for left-back Pep Chavarria, after Rayo Vallecano responded to the Blues' opening bid of £12.8m by asking for £21.4m for the Spaniard. (Teamtalk), external
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Image source, Getty ImagesChelsea's newest signing Danny Welbeck says he feels "really honoured" to pen a two-year deal after already having "fantastic conversations" with his new manager Xabi Alonso.
The 35-year-old forward, who has parted ways with Brighton after nearly six years of service, arrives at Stamford Bridge with 400 Premier League appearances and 42 England caps under his belt.
"When you hear of interest from Chelsea, it is something that fills you with such immense pride," Welbeck said. "Knowing the history of Chelsea, it is a club that wants to win trophies and is pushing to do that every single season.
"I'm really honoured to come to a club of this stature at what feels like a really exciting time. I know a few of the boys already, and I've had fantastic conversations with the manager, so I already feel that connection.
"I've got that fire in my belly. I'm ready to give everything for this club to make everyone at Chelsea, and the supporters, proud."
Welbeck will join up with Alonso's squad as their pre-season tour moves on to Hong Kong.
