Xabi Alonso believes Maxence Lacroix’s leadership and competitive nature have helped the centre-back quickly become an important member of his Chelsea team.
Lacroix joined the Blues in the summer from fellow Londoners Crystal Palace after returning from the FIFA World Cup, where he was part of the France squad that reached the semi-finals.
The defender has needed little time to adjust to his new surroundings across the capital and has become a central figure in Alonso’s plans, featuring in all our league fixtures so far this season – and starting all but one.
A massive game is up next for the Blues, as Tottenham Hotspur visit Stamford Bridge this evening for a London derby that always gets the blood pumping in SW6. And ahead of that game, our manager discussed Lacroix’s strong start to life at Chelsea.
Alonso said: ‘Max has many good things, but two of them are that he's ready – we knew that his impact was going to be instant with his Premier League experience, being competitive – and he has a strong personality.
‘He has great leadership. He likes to communicate, to be loud, to be very active in the game, and that presence is very important.
‘With the players around him, we are connecting better with him, and he's doing much better. He's doing good now, lately playing with Levi [Colwill] and when he has played with Wes [Fofana].
‘We are very happy with him and he's feeling good.’