Xabi Alonso has refused to be drawn into speculation linking the Blues with experienced duo Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck.
Chelsea have been strongly linked with moves for the former Liverpool midfielder and ex-Manchester United striker as they continue to shape their squad ahead of the new season.
Speaking after Chelsea’s pre-season match against Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia on Tuesday, Alonso said he would not comment on transfer rumours but stressed the importance of building a balanced squad.
“No, I’m sure that from today until the last day of the transfer [window] there will be a lot of rumours, so to be commenting on all of them, it’s going to be a hard task,” he said.
“But for sure we need proper balance in terms of qualities, in terms of positions, in terms of balance. We want to have a complete squad and we want to make a good team. For that we have an idea, we have a plan and let’s see how we set it up until the start of the Premier League.”
The Spaniard also highlighted the importance of intelligence and continuous learning, regardless of a player’s age or experience.
“Everyone has to learn, everyone. It doesn’t matter if you are young, if you are more experienced, this is what happens in the game.
“This is a quality as well that you need. You can be quick, you can be good at dribbling, but you can have this game intelligence to do the things and from everything we need to be quick because the competition is in just almost a month and we want to get ready for that. We need to manage that, that is so important in football nowadays.”
When asked about his memories of facing Welbeck during his playing career, including the striker’s goal against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu, Alonso again declined to fuel the speculation.
“Many rumours at the moment, so no comment,” he said.
