2026-08-28 08:43:01

Xabi Alonso says that the decision to drop Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea’s squad for the Carabao Cup tie against Luton was unrelated to rumours linking him with a move to Manchester City.

The Blues midfielder was left out of the squad entirely for the 2-0 win on Thursday (27.08.26), and the coach insisted the decision was made in order to give other players opportunities.

Alonso said: “We assess individually, collectively what is the best for the team for tonight, what is better for other players that were playing.

“It was our decision, from myself and from the club.”

City are said to be preparing a bid for Fernandez – who has spoken about leaving Chelsea in previous interviews – but Alonso denied that talks were taking place with their Premier League rivals.

Asked if Fernandez was left out due to the speculation, the Spanish manager said: “No, it was just because of the game today. We have other players that need minutes. It was that way. It’s a decision that I took.

“He’s a good professional. He’s training well. I have nothing to say about him. It was just a decision we had to take, thinking about the game we were playing tonight.”

Chelsea needed two second-half goals to overcome a stubborn Luton side and Alonso was pleased with the “patience” shown by his side.

He told Sky Sports: “We needed to play with patience. Credit to Luton, they defended with heart. They were solid. It’s not easy so in half-time we spoke to be patient and keep going. We scored quite quickly in the second half and that helped a lot.”

Danny Welbeck opened the scoring on his Chelsea debut and described it as “special” to make an immediate impact following his surprise summer switch to Stamford Bridge.

The veteran striker said: “It’s obviously really special to score on your debut, so really pleased with that. More importantly, to get through to the next round. It’s not always easy when you’re facing a low block and to break teams down. I got on the end of a cross and I’m happy to get the first goal.”

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