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Why Alonso is a good fit
- Updated: September 7, 2016
Chelsea’s £24m deal for former Bolton and Sunderland defender Marcos Alonso received a mixed reception, but there is logic behind the transfer. Nick Wright profiles the Spanish defender and explains why he could be a good fit for Antonio Conte’s side.
Transfer deadline day saw contrasting signings at Chelsea. On the one hand there was the blockbuster return of David Luiz, a larger-than-life character back in west London after two years away, and on the other there was Marcos Alonso, an uncapped Spanish defender best known in England for spells at Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland.
Alonso’s arrival from Fiorentina was predictably overshadowed in the media frenzy surrounding Luiz, but it is no less important. The left-back spot has been an issue for the Blues ever since Ashley Cole’s decline and departure in 2014, with Cesar Azpilicueta forced to move across from right-back as specialist signings Filipe Luis and Baba Rahman failed to meet expectations.
Conte will be hoping the latest pretender can buck the trend, but the jury is out among supporters. Alonso comes from an illustrious footballing family, rose through the youth ranks at Real Madrid and has spent the last two seasons competing near the top of Serie A with Fiorentina, but eyes are more easily drawn to the less glamorous entries on his CV.
Alonso suffered relegation to the Championship during his three-year stint at the Macron Stadium between 2010 and 2013, and he landed in another relegation battle when he was loaned to Premier League strugglers Sunderland just a few months after his move from Bolton to Fiorentina.
On the face of it, those curious chapters in his career don’t exactly scream of a player destined for the Premier League’s elite, but Alonso has left a positive impression wherever he has been, and there were clues about his …
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