Xabi Alonso's Chelsea reign has begun with a setback. The new Spanish manager will do without two of his summer signings for the club's preparatory tour of Australia and Asia after both were left out of the travelling squad.
Chelsea have named 27 players for the camp in Sydney, among them defender Marco Palestra, their latest addition, who arrived from Atalanta for 43 million pounds.
Missing from that group, though, are Emanuel Emegha and Geovany Quenda, both officially tied to the club during this summer's window.
The London side had struck deals with Strasbourg and Sporting Lisbon before the summer began, but the players only joined up properly in the current period.
Injury rules out Emegha and mysterious absence for Quenda
According to British newspaper "The Sun", Dutch striker Emanuel Emegha, 23, pulled up with a hamstring injury during a closed-door friendly against League One side Bromley, a match Chelsea won 3-0.
Quenda's case is murkier. The reason behind the 19-year-old Portugal right winger's omission from the tour squad remains undisclosed.
There is still hope for Alonso. Both players could yet link up with the squad later in the tour if their situations improve.
Absences due to the World Cup
Several key men are also unavailable after reaching the latter stages of the World Cup. Chief among them is Morgan Rogers, a recent 117 million pound arrival from Aston Villa, alongside club captain Reece James.
Both are resting after a long campaign with England at the World Cup before rejoining the group to prepare for the new season.
That behind-closed-doors win over Bromley finished 3-0, with João Pedro, Jimmy-Jay Gittens and Emanuel Emegha on the scoresheet. Emegha then picked up his injury.