Seven academy players have travelled with Chelsea on their pre-season tour of Australia, each aiming to catch the eye of new head coach Xabi Alonso and force their way into first-team consideration.

The Blues have taken a 26-man squad to train under Alonso Down Under, where they will face Western Sydney Wanderers and Tottenham. All seven youngsters featured in behind-closed-doors friendly wins against Crawley Town and Bromley during Alonso's opening fortnight in charge, though they may be recalled to London when World Cup players return to bolster the squad.

Landon Emenalo

Multiple observers have identified the 18-year-old son of former Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo as the standout performer among the group. Emenalo has reportedly played more minutes than any other player across the two warm-up fixtures, operating at left-back — a position he has filled convincingly in place of Marc Cucurella following the Spaniard's departure to Real Madrid.

He first trained with Chelsea's first team under Mauricio Pochettino in 2023 and is now working under his fourth permanent manager. To sharpen his preparation, Emenalo conducted detailed video analysis of Alonso's methods and attended a post-season training camp organised by his agency.