I joined Chelsea on deadline day – I turned down other Premier League clubs to make it happen

Marcos Alonso was a last-minute signing by Chelsea when he arrived from Fiorentina in 2016. The full-back proved to be a transfer masterstroke, quickly demonstrating that he was a much-improved player from his earlier time in England with Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland.

This summer proved to be another busy one for Chelsea, who welcomed 11 new players before the end of the window and saw plenty of others seal moves away from Stamford Bridge. Liam Delap and Joao Pedro arrived in time to help steer Enzo Maresca’s side to Club World Cup glory, though the club continued to finalise deals up until the end of the window.

Alejandro Garnacho was signed from Manchester United with a day to spare, while Facundo Buonanotte was loaned in from Brighton on deadline day. Meanwhile, Nicolas Jackson completed his loan move to Bayern Munich and Ben Chilwell joined Strasbourg permanently. Chelsea icon Alonso found himself in a similar position when completing his move from Fiorentina, with the defender soon revealing that he had rejected other offers from England.

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"I am very happy to be here and to be back in the Premier League - it's a big decision, a big step in my career,” Alonso told Chelsea’s club website in 2016, as per the Express. “I had the chance before[to return to the Premier League], but I think it was a good thing for me to stay at Fiorentina.

"But when I knew about Chelsea, I said 'yes' in the first second I knew. "I'm more ready than before and this is a very big thing.

“I think it's time to win trophies now and give my best to help the team. We have to fight for every competition. We have top players, we're a top club so we're going to try and win every competition we play."

Alonso enjoyed a dream debut season with Chelsea, soon establishing himself at left wingback as Antonio Conte’s side won the Premier League title by seven points. The Spain international scored six goals and provided three assists across 31 league appearances.

The former Bolton and Sunderland man continued to prove his worth under successive managers, even Chilwell arrived from Leicester City in 2020. He spent six years with Chelsea, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, Europa League and Club World Cup during his time at the club.

Alonso made 212 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 29 goals, before joining Barcelona in September 2022 after agreeing to leave the Blues by mutual consent. The 34-year-old signed for Celta Vigo last year after two years at the Camp Nou.

The defender is not the only Chelsea player to prove his worth after arriving on deadline day. Ashley Cole’s controversial switch from Arsenal was sealed on the final day of the window in 2006, while former Real Madrid midfielder Claude Makelele was pivotal as the club ushered in a new era, three years earlier.

Cole Palmer is a more recent example of how taking advantage of a late deal can pay dividends after signing from Manchester City. However, there is still time for Chelsea to do some more transfer business, even after the domestic window has closed.

The Blues may wish to utilise the later deadlines in Turkey and Saudi Arabia, among others, to find moves away for some players in their squad. Axel Disasi has previously been linked with other clubs, while Tyrique George and David Datro Fofana saw their respective deadline day moves to Fulham and Charlton collapse.

However, Chelsea boss Maresca’s primary focus will be getting the best out of his new-look squad when the club returns to action after the international break. The Blues are away to Brentford on Saturday before travelling to Bayern Munich for their opening Champions League fixture next Wednesday.