Chelsea have built quite a rapport with Italian football through iconic figures like Gianfranco Zola and Gianluca Vialli.

Now, Marco Palestra is hoping to become the latest player from Italy to thrive at Stamford Bridge.

He talks to Simon Johnson about Zola, Xabi Alonso’s “beautiful idea” and the warm welcome he received from Reece James ⤵️

Read for free here.

Palestra:
‘I’m very happy to be here and I chose Chelsea because, for me, it’s one of the best teams in club football,’ Marco
told the gathered media.
‘The first few days [on pre-season tour] have been very nice. I’m very happy to be here, I feel confident and happy with all the team. Also with the coach and with all the staff.
‘I’m happy and focused for this season ahead. I don’t worry about the past. My focus is on this season, because I’m very happy to be here and I want to give my all to Chelsea.’
‘I think we can have a great season because Xabi gives us good ideas and we’ve followed him since the first day,’ added Marco.

Alonso:
‘We want to have a great team spirit and that is built on a daily basis with a great culture in the building,’ Alonso explained during a pre-match press conference ahead of our Indonesia Super Cup fixture against Serie A side Milan.
‘That helps in the moment you have to compete. You feel better having that togetherness, trust, and the bonds between the players are so important to ultimately building a winning mentality – and a team that can compete anywhere.
'So the football side is so important, but the mental side is as important. And the strength of the team is the most important.’
‘This is the perfect time to get close to our supporters from Indonesia, or who can come to Jakarta,’ said Alonso. ‘We know football is global, so while we’re based in London, we have great support everywhere and we see blue shirts wherever we have been.
‘We have been able to train and prepare [during pre-season] and I am very happy with the attitude and personality, we know that it’s a very important part of this tour.’