EPLTransfer

Marcos Alonso reveals why he turned down Barcelona for Chelsea

Marcos Alonso’s arrival from Fiorentina for £19.5m last summer was met with a lot of skepticism amongst Chelsea fans who could only recall the Spaniard’s indifferent spells with Bolton and Sunderland earlier in his career.

It’s clear that this incarnation of Alonso is far superior as the 26-year-old has slotted in seamlessly at left wing-back in Antonio Conte’s 3-4-3 formation, playing a key role as Chelsea cruise towards a fifth Premier League title.

Alonso had gone under the radar and established himself as one of the better fullbacks in Serie A during his time with Fiorentina and when the time came to leave he not only had an offer from Chelsea but one from Barcelona as well.

Speaking to the International Business Times, Alonso reveals why he opted to turn down a move to the Bernabeu to come and join Conte and Stamford Bridge.

“There were some great teams interested in me in the summer but I decided to join Chelsea because they are a team that I had always liked,” Alonso stated after the Blues’ 2-1 win over West Ham on Monday night.

“I saw a possibility of succeeding here. I had some other offers from other teams from Italy and Spain but when Chelsea came to get me, I did not think twice. Chelsea are a club that had always attracted me.

“From my early years at Bolton I knew that Chelsea were a great club and the truth is that I was right to come here. Things are going well but I have to continue this way because I think I still can give much more. Now with the tranquility of not having to prove anything I have to keep improving.”

The former Real Madrid youth player revealed that it wasn’t in his interest to leave Fiorentina when Barcelona came in for him, but his stance changed once he heard Chelsea were also keen.

“Well, I think there was some conversations [with Barcelona] but the truth is that at that point it was not in my plans to leave Fiorentina,” he said. “It was only when the interest from Chelsea arrived in the summer when I started to consider to make a change.”

Alonso has scored four goals in 22 Premier League appearances for Chelsea this season.

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