Key keywords: Xabi Alonso Chelsea manager, 2024 Premier League summer transfer window, Chelsea first signing under Alonso, Florian Wirtz transfer rumors, Granit Xhaka Chelsea links, Bayer Leverkusen exit targets, Chelsea squad overhaul 2024, Jeremie Frimpong Chelsea interest Following the official confirmation that Xabi Alonso will take over as Chelsea’s first-team manager ahead of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, football fans and transfer analysts across the globe are speculating over which player the former Bayer Leverkusen boss will sign first to kick off his Stamford Bridge rebuild. Alonso, who led Leverkusen to an historic unbeaten treble of Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Europa League in 2023/24, has been handed full control over Chelsea’s transfer operations by owner Todd Boehly, with a reported summer budget of £200m to reshape a squad that finished 11th in the Premier League last season. The most widely rumored first target is 21-year-old German attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, who developed into one of Europe’s most coveted creative talents under Alonso’s guidance at Leverkusen. Wirtz registered 17 goals and 22 assists across all competitions last term, and is viewed as the perfect solution to Chelsea’s year-long lack of creativity in the final third, a gap that has remained unfilled since Mason Mount’s departure to Manchester United in 2023. Leverkusen are reportedly holding out for an £85m fee for Wirtz, but sources close to the player indicate he would be open to a move to London to continue working with Alonso, even if he has no immediate plans to leave his boyhood club. A second, more feasible option for Alonso’s first signing is 31-year-old Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka, who revived his career under Alonso after leaving Arsenal in 2023. Xhaka’s physicality, tactical intelligence and Premier League experience make him an ideal candidate to stabilize Chelsea’s inconsistent midfield, which saw record signing Moises Caicedo struggle for form for most of last season. With a reported release clause of just £35m, Xhaka would represent a low-risk, high-reward signing, and sources claim the midfielder has already told Leverkusen’s hierarchy he wants to follow Alonso to Chelsea. Another outside candidate for the first signing is 23-year-old Dutch right-back Jeremie Frimpong, who scored 8 goals and provided 11 assists for Leverkusen last season. With Chelsea’s first-choice right-back Reece James sidelined for more than 60% of matches last term due to repeated injury issues, Frimpong would offer much-needed depth and attacking threat down the right flank, and is already fully familiar with Alonso’s high-pressing, possession-based tactical system. While Wirtz remains Alonso’s top long-term target, multiple transfer insiders claim Xhaka is the most likely first signing, as the deal can be completed quickly with minimal negotiation, allowing Alonso to lock down a key midfield leader before turning his attention to higher-cost targets later in the window.