Garnacho absent as Chelsea begin pre-season; Iraola starts work at Liverpool

Alejandro Garnacho was the most notable absentee as Chelsea began pre-season training on Thursday, with the Premier League club actively looking to sell the winger. The 21-year-old, who joined from Manchester United for £40m on a seven-year contract, scored just one league goal in 24 appearances last season, struggling for regular starts under Enzo Maresca and then Liam Rosenior. Chelsea value Garnacho at £43m (€50m) and will only entertain permanent offers, despite loan interest from Serie A side Roma. Talks are open and advancing with Premier League, European and Saudi Arabian clubs, with Manchester United due 10% of any sale. The potential exit is part of a reshaping under new manager Xabi Alonso, who has already added full-back Marco Palestra (£47m from Atalanta) and winger Geovany Quenda (£40m from Sporting) while selling Marc Cucurella (£52m to Real Madrid) and Tyrique George (up to £24m to Everton). The Blues, who finished 10th last season, are targeting Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix and Rayo Vallecano left-back Pep Chavarria, with further outgoings expected — Trevoh Chalobah's entourage is exploring moves to Inter Milan and Como. Across Merseyside, new Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola has arrived at the AXA Training Centre ahead of a first Premier League game away at Newcastle on 23 August. With most first-team players due back next week, Iraola will have just over a month to instil his front-foot, aggressive style. His first press conference is scheduled for 13 July. The Spaniard, known for taking an active role in drills, will be joined by Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper as first-team coaches. "Andoni likes to take all of the sessions and be in the thick of it as opposed to leaving it to others," a Bournemouth source told BBC Sport last month. Assistant coach Pablo de la Torre, who has worked with Iraola at three previous clubs, described him as "incredibly intelligent, leads by example, and has a rare emotional stability in such a visceral sport." De la Torre, quoted by Spanish publication AS, added: "From day one, you sense he's different — his ability to read the game and its needs is almost unique. He filters information so players can digest it easily and apply it every week." A key challenge for Iraola will be balancing Premier League games with midweek Champions League fixtures, having taken over after Mohamed Salah's public criticism of the style under predecessor Arne Slot. "The key is building a game model and team identity where players truly believe in the coach's idea," De la Torre said.