Thomas Tuchel 'hoping' to keep Marcos Alonso at Chelsea
By Tom Gott
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is not thought to be keen on the idea of losing left back Marcos Alonso this summer.
Alonso, who had been out in the cold under former boss Frank Lampard, was recalled under Tuchel and ended the season rotating with Ben Chilwell for minutes at left wing back - a battle largely won by the Englishman.
He has found his name in the rumour mill this summer thanks to reports suggesting he was being lined up as a makeweight in the failed bid to sign Inter right back Achraf Hakimi, who is now expected to join Paris Saint-Germain.
However, Inter have been tipped to launch a separate bid for Alonso this summer, while Barcelona have also been linked with the Spaniard, who turned 30 in December and has two years left to run on his contract.
Chelsea would likely be open to selling for the right price, but according to Mundo Deportivo, Tuchel will urge club officials not to do away with Alonso as he sees him as an ideal part of his system.
Often unconvincing as a traditional full back, Alonso turns into prime Roberto Carlos when deployed as a wing-back in a 3-4-3, and he enjoyed some impressive performances for Tuchel when he introduced that system back in January.
While it was Chilwell who enjoyed the lion's share of the minutes, including in every Champions League game past the round of 16, Tuchel still sees Alonso as a valuable option while he is playing this wing-back system...and he is even said to believe the Spaniard could fill in at centre back.
That last part seems highly unlikely. Alonso isn't exactly known for his positional discipline (or his defending in general), and when Tuchel experimented with full-backs in a central role last year, the nod was given to Reece James and even Emerson over Alonso, and rightly so.
Nevertheless, there's no denying that Alonso is an excellent option as long as Tuchel keeps this 3-4-3 set-up, but his future could hinge on exactly that as there have been reports suggesting the boss is ready to switch it up next season.
Chelsea officials will want to know Tuchel's plan for Alonso as soon as possible. This summer represents the last time they could sell him for close to full value, but if the boss wants to keep him, then Chelsea may be forced to start considering offering Alonso a new contract.