Chelsea have wrapped up the signing of goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez from Aston Villa in a deal worth £7.5m, giving Xabi Alonso a new option between the posts as he takes charge of his first Premier League home fixture at Stamford Bridge against Brighton.
Martínez, who spent several years at Villa Park after leaving Arsenal, expressed his excitement at joining a club he described as one built to win silverware. "I'm delighted to be at this football club. Coming to Chelsea, for me and my family, was an easy decision to make and I'm just over the moon – I can't wait to get started," he said. He added that he intended to bring his trademark intensity to west London: "I want to be successful here. I'm someone who wants to win at everything I do and I want to bring that here to this football club because it's a football club that wins titles, so I think it's a good match. I'm all passion and I play with my heart. I will give 100% every game, every training session to make the club, my teammates and the supporters proud."
The arrival comes amid scrutiny of Chelsea's current goalkeeping situation, with pundit Jamie Carragher suggesting on Monday Night Football that the club would struggle to win the title with Robert Sánchez as first choice. Alonso has confirmed he already knows who will start in goal against Brighton but declined to reveal his decision publicly ahead of kick-off, leaving open the possibility that Martínez could be involved sooner rather than later, even if he is unlikely to feature in this particular fixture given the timing of his move.
Alonso's side head into the match on the back of an encouraging opening-day victory, having beaten Fulham 3-2, with Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro both catching the eye in the win. There is a growing sense of optimism around Stamford Bridge that this Chelsea team, freshly reinforced, could mount a genuine title challenge this season.
On the team news front, Moises Caicedo is a doubt after missing the midweek Carabao Cup win over Luton Town through injury, though Alonso sounded cautiously hopeful. "He is hopefully training [Friday]. We are hopeful he can be involved. We are still checking; no decision made," the manager said. Levi Colwill and Geovany Quenda also sat out the Luton fixture, though Alonso insisted there were no fresh concerns, explaining that after a period out injured, Colwill would be eased back in carefully: "We don't want to push him too much. So he feels comfortable."
There was better news on the defensive front, with Wesley Fofana available again after suspension following his red card on the final day of last season, while Chelsea's opponents Brighton arrive full of confidence after thumping Aston Villa 4-0 in their own opening fixture and following up with a Conference League play-off success in midweek. Enzo Fernández, meanwhile, is expected to be left out of the squad entirely, with Manchester City reportedly interested in the World Cup-winning midfielder before the transfer window closes.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, the picture is far less rosy at Tottenham, who slipped to a second straight defeat, losing 2-0 at home to Newcastle. Manager Roberto De Zerbi cut a frustrated figure afterwards, admitting that finding the right mentality within his squad remains his greatest challenge, while also revealing that Richarlison, Kevin Danso and Pape Matar Sarr had all told him they wanted to leave the club. Meanwhile, north London rivals are also active in the market, closing in on a deal for Everton winger Iliman Ndiaye.
Based on reporting from Guardian Football, Standard Football, and Independent Football.