Two of the Premier League’s biggest spenders this summer are making headlines for very different reasons today. Chelsea’s new manager is explaining how he’ll fit two big-money attackers into one side, while a key Tottenham defender is publicly buying into his club’s transformation. Here’s the full rundown.

Alonso’s Plan for Rogers and Palmer

Xabi Alonso says he already has a clear idea of how to get Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer playing together, dismissing any concern that Chelsea’s two most talented attackers might get in each other’s way.

Rogers completed a move from Aston Villa last week for a reported £117m, making him the most expensive British player in history, and he’s signed a six-year contract at Stamford Bridge with an option for a further season. Alonso was clear about why the club moved for him, saying he expects Rogers to make an almost immediate impact and adapt quickly to his new surroundings.

The tactical question is a genuine one. Rogers and Palmer are close friends off the pitch and have said they’d love to line up together, but both players tend to gravitate toward the same pockets of space between the lines, the kind of overlap that can cancel out two brilliant individual talents rather than combine them. Alonso insists he’s already worked out how to avoid that, saying the plan is about getting the right balance and control so the pair make Chelsea more dangerous with and without the ball, rather than stepping on each other’s toes.

It’s worth noting Rogers hasn’t even trained with his new teammates yet. He’s currently on a break after helping England reach the World Cup semi-finals this summer, and has therefore missed Chelsea’s preseason tour of Australia, including Joao Pedro’s hat-trick heroics against Western Sydney Wanderers. Alonso also confirmed Chelsea’s business isn’t finished, with a reported £52m deal for Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix in the pipeline alongside further midfield reinforcements.

Van de Ven Hails Spurs’ New Ambition

Across London, Micky van de Ven has been giving Tottenham fans reason for optimism, praising the club’s transformation after a whirlwind summer of transfer activity under new manager Roberto De Zerbi.

Spurs have broken their own transfer record twice this window, first signing Mateus Fernandes from West Ham for £85m before smashing that mark again to bring in Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United for £92.5m. The spending hasn’t stopped there either, with a further £52m going toward Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke, plus free-transfer additions Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, and Martin Dubravka.

Speaking on Tottenham’s preseason tour, Van de Ven said the scale of investment shows real ambition from the club, something he called especially important for players who’ve been at Tottenham through tougher times. It’s a notable shift in tone from the Dutch defender, who had reportedly been targeting a move away from the club as recently as earlier this year before De Zerbi’s appointment changed his outlook.

The context behind the spending spree matters too. Spurs are coming off back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the Premier League, and this summer’s business is being read as a direct response to that underachievement. Van de Ven made clear that European qualification remains the target, a sign that expectations at the club are rising fast alongside the spending.