London, July 14 (IANS) New Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso has confirmed that Reece James will continue as the club’s captain for the upcoming season, describing the England international as a complete player whose deep connection with the club makes him the ideal leader.

James, who was appointed captain ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, is currently away on international duty with England at the FIFA World Cup and will rejoin Chelsea after the tournament. Despite concerns over his injury record in recent years, Alonso made it clear that the 26-year-old remains central to his plans.

“He can do everything. He can attack from inside or outside. He can deliver; he’s good at set pieces; he has blue DNA, which is very important, and we transmit that to the whole team and new players. He’s going to be the captain,” Alonso told Sky Sports.

The Chelsea academy graduate made 39 appearances across all competitions last season before earning a place in England’s World Cup squad. His versatility, leadership and understanding of the club’s culture were among the qualities Alonso highlighted while confirming his decision.

Alonso also expressed his desire to keep Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez at Stamford Bridge amid speculation linking the World Cup winner with a move away this summer.

“Enzo’s a great player, and we are looking forward to having him and starting to work together,” he said.

The Spanish coach added that winger Alejandro Garnacho could leave the club, confirming that Chelsea have received interest from other teams for the 22-year-old.

“The situation is that we have spoken with the sporting directors, and there is an interest for him from other clubs. So let’s see how this develops. But hopefully, it finishes in the best possible way for all parties,” Alonso said.

Looking ahead to his first season in charge, Alonso said qualifying for European competition is one of Chelsea’s objectives, while stressing that building the right playing identity will be the priority.

“For sure that’s a goal. But to reach that goal, you need to do many right things and to be part of that process: how do we want to play, how we want to see ourselves, how we want to approach a game wherever we go. That’s my job. That’s why I am really looking forward to having the whole squad. At the moment, we have some bids, but it’s early days so far,” he said.

“But for sure, we want to be there, and time will tell. But we are ambitious, and we in Chelsea need to share that energy, that ambition, as well as that hunger to want to have success,” he added.

Chelsea had a disappointing campaign in the 2025-26 season; they finished at 10th in the Premier League with 52 points. Due to this, they also lost direct qualification to the UEFA Champions League.

–IANS

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