It’s been another summer of change at Chelsea – and on the eve of a new Premier League season, there is so much to analyse at the club, with Xabi Alonso’s reign kicking off, big-money transfers to be settled and a search for success on the pitch in their sights.

In a special Sky Sports podcast – A big summer for… Chelsea – Peter Smith is joined by Sky Sports News reporter James Savundra and Sky Sports football journalist David Richardson to discuss the key talking points at the club, including Enzo Fernandez’s future amid interest from Manchester City and a £120m price tag.

The arrival of £117m Morgan Rogers and his partnership with Cole Palmer was also on the agenda, along with Alonso’s new tactical set-up and the surprise signings of experienced pair Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck, which signalled a shift in the club’s transfer policy.

Listen to the podcast below, watch it on the Sky Sports News YouTube channel or read on for the key points from the episode…

Enzo Fernandez – What’s the latest?

James Savundra: When I spoke to Xabi Alonso in his second week at work, he was glowing in his praise when it came to players like Reece James and Cole Palmer. But he gave very little away when it came to Enzo Fernandez. He only gave short sentences. The only thing he confirmed was that he was looking forward to working with him, and that he’s a great player, but he didn’t say much more than that, which made you think that, at that point, the saga [over Fernandez’s future] hadn’t been resolved.

I know that Fernandez has got a contract for another six years, but I think he wants to be better remunerated for what he offers to the side. As we know with the Chelsea contracts, some of them are very long, but they’re more incentivised in terms of performance or if Chelsea go on and win things. I think he wants a higher base salary. That’s our understanding.

But when the deadline eventually passed on Friday with no £120m bid from Man City, Chelsea sources said they expected Fernandez to stay until the end of the season. But that’s no clear guarantee. They don’t want the start of the season, the start of this new era dominated by conversations and questions for Xabi Alonso to answer every press conference. But one thing I will say, if Enzo Fernandez does stay he will be a massive part of Alonso’s plans.

Who else could be on the way out before the deadline?

Will Chelsea play a back three?

David Richardson: The big question around Xabi Alonso at Chelsea is whether he would replicate the 3-4-3 formation that he had such great success with at Bayer Leverkusen. Chelsea have played six pre-season games. In their first three, they played a back four, which was similar to what Alonso did at Real Madrid – and, as we know, it didn’t go too well there. But since then, in the final three matches, he’s played a back three and that has been when more of his senior players have been available to him.

In the first half against Real Sociedad, Chelsea sat too deep in the back three. It became almost a back five, with Marco Palestra and Pedro Neto as their wingbacks. They couldn’t get out. They couldn’t press. They became sloppy on the ball – and that was despite Morgan Rogers scoring after 10 minutes. They were much improved in the second half. They played higher up the pitch, dominated possession and because they were higher up the pitch, they were able to press.

Can Rogers and Palmer play together?

David Richardson: Rogers was on the left of the front three against Real Sociedad, with Joao Pedro through the middle and Palmer off the right. Rogers and Palmer didn’t play as wingers; they were tucked in as inside forwards, which suits their game.

That is some front three. If you compare that to any other team in the league, it’s got to be right up there – possibly the best front three in the division. Particularly with the way Joao Pedro is playing – he’s scored seven goals in five games in pre-season. Rogers linked up well with Joao Pedro on Saturday, and it was probably him and Joao Pedro that showed more signs of connecting than Rogers and Palmer.

It’s all about getting those front three firing. Palmer had that incredible first season at Chelsea and hasn’t quite lived up to those standards. But having not been at the World Cup, he’s had some rest, a full pre-season now and hopefully he’ll be over those injuries that he’s had in recent seasons and should be firing. It’s a big, big season for him.

Who’s the No 1?

David Richardson: It’s a reflection on how well Robert Sanchez has started to do that he is still No 1. He had a much improved season last year. He played 51 times, a full season in goal and he looked more confident, more comfortable.

There were big question marks over his playing out from the back – I remember him being heckled by some Chelsea supporters to get the ball forward and just get it away from his own goal. But he’s settled down now. Against Real Sociedad on Saturday, he made several saves in the first half, and he seems to be growing into that role.

As for Mike Penders, he came on as a substitute in that game but I think he’ll have to wait for his opportunity. For now, it looks like Sanchez is Chelsea’s No 1.

Why did Chelsea sign Henderson and Welbeck?

James Savundra: There have been so many silly yellow cards and that really did hamper Chelsea and a number of different managers couldn’t solve it. Under Alonso and this new leadership group he’s forming, when you consider the age of the players brought in, there’s clearly been a lot of learning from the ownership group over the last four years.

Sometimes the approach was a bit scattergun when it came to transfers. But now I think Alonso has looked at the squad and realised ‘we definitely need more experienced players that know how to win things’. That’s players like Henderson and Welbeck, who can help these young players become players who can perform consistently in the Premier League and accept all that comes with being a Chelsea player.

These young players will need to deliver success – but now they’ve got real role models in the form of those more mature players. And actually even in the signings of Maxence Lacroix, who’s 26, and Pep Chavarria, 28, I think it’s clear that there’s an admission that there have been mistakes made and everybody is seeing this as a new chapter.

What’s success for Alonso and Chelsea this season?

James Savundra: It would be fascinating to be in those conversations and whether or not they’ve laid out clear defined targets for this season. I think they are really seeing this as a long-term project over two, three or four years and as long as they are seeing that progress on the pitch, whether or not they get Champions League football this season, I don’t think that will define whether or not Xabi Alonso gets a second year.

It will be whether you can actually see with your eyes that this team is getting there, this culture is being built behind the scenes, because Alonso is going to be involved in a number of different areas at the club. But signing a player like Morgan Rogers for £117m? You’re not spending this sort of money in the transfer window to finish in the top 10 or just to get Europa League football.

This season things have really opened up with a number of managerial changes. Liverpool a lot of upheaval there and that squad doesn’t quite look ready for the start of the Premier League season. Manchester United, it’s their first full season under Michael Carrick and how are they going to cope with playing in the Champions League as well?

So getting into the Champions League and having a really strong cup run in the FA Cup or the Carabao Cup will probably be the aim.

LIV Golf has confirmed its season-ending Team Championship event in Michigan will no longer go ahead, with this week’s tournament in Indianapolis to be a stroke-play event that concludes the season.

Part of a lengthy LIV Golf statement on Monday read: “With LIV Golf Indianapolis serving as the final event of the season, the previously scheduled Aramco LIV Golf Michigan, originally set for August 27-30, at The Cardinal at Saint John’s Resort, will not take place.”

As of last Thursday, tickets for LIV Golf’s Team Championship event in Michigan could no longer be purchased on its official website amid reports it had been cancelled, while star player Tyrrell Hatton entered a DP World Tour event on the same dates.

The Telegraph reported a day earlier that LIV’s players had been told of its cancellation. However nothing was confirmed by the league itself until Monday.

England’s Hatton appeared on the latest version of the entry list for the British Masters, which also runs from August 27-30, live on Sky Sports.

Hatton is joined on the entry list by fellow LIV players Tom McKibbin and Adrian Meronk, with the trio set to tee it up at The Belfry, where the tournament is being hosted by Sir Nick Faldo.

Prior to its cancellation, former Open champion Cameron Smith had said he would be “disappointed” if the Indianapolis event did not go ahead.

LIV’s future into 2027 remains in doubt.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced in April it would be ending its financing of the league at the conclusion of the 2026 season, leaving LIV Golf searching for new investors.

League CEO Scott O’Neil announced earlier this month that the league had reached an agreement with a new unnamed ‘lead investor’ to provide funding for the 2027 season.

O’Neil said the deal was set to be finalised later this month but added the new investor had “signed a term sheet”.

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