Xabi Alonso believes Cole Palmer has the desire and determination to have a great season for the Blues, with the England international part of the squad in Sydney for the first leg of the pre-season tour. After a rare summer without football, Palmer is part of the Blues squad in Sydney for the first leg of our pre-season tour, which also includes stops in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia. The England international featured in our opening fixture against Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday, and undertook pre-match media duties alongside his new manager ahead of tomorrow’s (Saturday’s) match with Tottenham Hotspur at Accor Stadium. Alonso has spent the past three weeks at home at Cobham and on tour working with Palmer, and has been impressed by the attitude and application of the Blues' No.10. 'My feeling is that he loves the game and he wants to enjoy it,' the Chelsea manager explained. 'Once he enjoys it, he shows it, he transmits it. So the proof is for him to enjoy his game and show his best level. He has shown it [before] and this year I see him with the desire and goal to have a great season. 'I see that he's in a very positive mindset with a very good quality and very good mentality. He is very open to talking about football and what the team needs. His role in the team is that he’s going to be a leader on the pitch, and the better Cole we have, the better Chelsea we have. That's for sure. 'I think that having a proper pre-season and proper preparation is going to be important for him – and you've seen that he's really focused on that. We are connected; we are getting each other. So far, I like his personality. Palmer has been joined in the Chelsea attack this summer by his good friend Morgan Rogers, who has arrived from Aston Villa and will link up with the Blues ahead of the 2026/27 campaign. Striker Dastan Satpayev is also with the squad in Sydney after FC Kairat granted permission for the 17-year-old to link up with the Blues early. Alonso is aware of the quality he possesses in the final third and is keen to give his attacking players freedom to express themselves. However, the Spaniard insists that it cannot come at the expense of the wider team discipline. He explained: 'I think discipline gives you freedom, and I think that with clear patterns, clear duties, you then have the capacity to have the freedom to show your decision-making, your talent and your quality. But there are these principles that all the players need to respect to make a good team. 'I'm sure all the players believe it because it's the way football is nowadays. And Cole, Joao (Pedro), Morgan, Jamie (Gittens), Dastan, all the attacking players, they need to get involved in this mindset – and they are. ### Watch every pre-season fixture live! Our pre-season tour takes in Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia with fixtures against Tottenham Hotspur, Juventus, AC Milan and Johor Darul Ta'zim still to come as preparations build towards the 2026/27 campaign. We will also face Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge when we return to England, with that game also available to stream on CFC+. A CFC+ subscription costs just £14.99 for the year, and includes all six pre-season games as well as a plethora of additional exclusive Chelsea content. If CFC+ isn’t for you, you can purchase individual match passes this pre-season for £9.99 per fixture. However, to gain the best value for money, a CFC+ subscription is recommended. Please check your region for currency translation League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): 10th in Premier League, 52 pts, 14W-10D-14L from 38 games, recent form LWDLL. Goals this season: 58 scored, 52 conceded (+6 goal difference). Title race: 33 points behind leaders Arsenal.