Maxence Lacroix reveals why he joined Chelsea in first words after £52m transfer | OneFootball

France defender has become third new signing of the Xabi Alonso era

Maxence Lacroix has explained why he made the decision to join Chelsea, calling it “the best club in the world”.

The France defender’s £52million switch to Stamford Bridge from London rivals Crystal Palace was officially announced on Thursday.

Lacroix has signed a six-year contract at Chelsea that runs until the summer of 2032 and will join up with the squad ahead of the new Premier League season.

The 26-year-old is currently on holiday following France’s run to the semi-finals of the World Cup, where they lost 2-0 to Spain before being beaten 6-4 by England in a thrilling third-place play-off.

Lacroix becomes Chelsea’s third signing of the new Xabi Alonso era, following the club-record £117m arrival of England star Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa and the £47m deal with Atalanta for Italy right-back Marco Palestra.

Chelsea have been boosted by the arrivals of several other players as part of moves agreed previously, including Emmanuel Emegha, Geovany Quenda and Dastan Satpayev, while they have also agreed the surprise signings of experienced duo Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson.

“I am really happy to be part of this beautiful club,” Lacroix told Chelsea’s official website. “Everyone knows the legend of Chelsea, its tradition of winning, and to be a part of that is a proud moment.

“When I spoke with the manager, I saw that we have the same direction and desire for this club.

“We want to win. When you see the quality of the players here, everything we have around the club, it's something that we can achieve. The ambition is to lift trophies, and I can’t wait to contribute.”

In his first interview as a Chelsea player, Lacroix explained that he had spoken to several Chelsea players as well as Alonso before deciding to make the switch from south to west London.

“I think it’s the best move for me because it’s the best club in the world,” Lacroix said.

“I spoke with Malo [Gusto]. I spoke with Trev [Chalobah]. I spoke with Benoit [Badiashile]. It's easy for people to speak well about this club because it has a lot of big history and I'm really proud to be a part of it now.

“I spoke with the manager on the phone. We spoke about tactics, we spoke about how he sees the game. First of all, I was happy just to speak about football with him, and I saw that we have the same direction and desire for this club.

“When I spoke with the gaffer, when I spoke also with the people I know from the national team who play for Chelsea, like Malo, they told me it was the best club I can go to.

“So already I was saying: ‘Okay, I don’t need to think too much’. After talking to people I said to myself: ‘This is the best step forward for me’.”