Joe Cole urges Alonso to block Chelsea stars' Real Madrid moves
Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole has told new manager Xabi Alonso to prevent Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella from joining Real Madrid this summer. Speaking to The Daily Mail, Cole said he would 'rather sell four or five other players' to keep the pair, criticizing Chelsea's transfer strategy as wasteful where 'every player has a price' because the club is 'run as a business'.
Cucurella has already agreed to join Los Blancos, while Fernandez is also linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge. Cole's intervention comes amid Chelsea's ongoing squad overhaul under Alonso, who took charge recently. The ex-player argues retaining key talent is more financially sensible than constant high-cost replacements that haven't delivered expected returns.
This advice highlights Chelsea's recurring issue of selling promising players shortly after big-money signings, a pattern fans have questioned since the Todd Boehly era. With Alonso aiming to build a competitive squad, losing both Fernandez (a World Cup winner) and Cucurella (a regular starter) would significantly weaken his options mid-season.
If Alonso follows Cole's advice, which other players might he consider selling instead to fund keeping the duo, and would that actually improve squad balance or just create new gaps?