Chelsea pre-season tour blow as new signings miss squad for Australia and Asia

Chelsea’s preparations for the new season under incoming head coach Xabi Alonso have begun with concern after two recent signings were left out of the 27-man squad travelling to Australia and Asia for their pre-season tour.

The club confirmed a travelling party of 27 players for the camp in Sydney, with new defender Marco Balestra included after completing his move from Atalanta for £43m, the latest addition in Chelsea’s busy summer window.

However, fellow summer arrivals Emanuel Emegha and Giovanni Quenda were both omitted from the group heading on tour, despite having already sealed moves to Stamford Bridge during the current transfer window.

Chelsea had reached agreements with Strasbourg and Sporting Lisbon over the transfers of the pair before the start of the summer, but their formal integration into the squad has only taken place in recent weeks.

Injury concern for Emegha

According to British newspaper The Sun, 23-year-old Dutch striker Emanuel Emegha has suffered a hamstring injury in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Bromley, who compete in the English Football League.

Chelsea won that match 3-0, but Emegha’s setback has disrupted his start to life at the club and has ruled him out of the initial part of Alonso’s first pre-season tour as manager.

The situation surrounding 19-year-old Portuguese right winger Giovanni Quenda is less clear. No explanation has yet been made public for his absence from the travelling squad, and there has been no official comment from Chelsea on any fitness or administrative issue.

Despite this early complication for Alonso’s planning, both players could still join up with the squad later in the tour if their respective situations improve in the coming days or weeks.

Key players missing after World Cup runs

Alonso will also be without several senior figures for the opening stages of pre-season, with a number of core players granted extended leave after going deep into the World Cup with their national teams.

Among those absent is Morgan Rogers, who has recently completed a high-profile move to Chelsea from Aston Villa in a deal worth £117m. Club captain Reece James is also missing from the tour party for the same reason.

Those players are continuing their post-tournament break following a demanding World Cup campaign with England, and will return to join up with the squad once their rest period has finished and preparations for the new campaign intensify.

Behind-closed-doors win over Bromley

Chelsea’s build-up under Alonso had started positively on the pitch with the 3-0 victory over Bromley in a closed friendly, prior to the squad announcement for the tour.

Goals in that match came from Joao Pedro, Jimmy Gittens and Emanuel Emegha, with the Dutch forward on the scoresheet before later sustaining the hamstring problem that has now disrupted his pre-season plans.

For Alonso, the absence of Emegha and Quenda from the flight to Sydney represents an early test of his ability to adapt as he looks to shape his first Chelsea squad, even as new signings such as Balestra begin their integration into the team on the other side of the world.