That means the club’s players, some of whom are said to have expressed excitement at working under Maresca, could find some of their favourite items cut from the Chelsea menu. Those not on international duty this summer are due back on July 4.
Alvarez also made the Tottenham team shed 100 kilos and is said to be obsessive about players’ fat ratios, meaning Chelsea’s squad can expect regular weigh-ins during the summer.
Despite his strict methods, Alvarez remained a popular figure among club staff at Tottenham and players such as goalkeeper Paul Robinson and midfielder Tom Huddlestone spoke of the benefits of his methods.
Shortly after joining Tottenham with Ramos, Alvarez detailed the changes he decided to make by saying: “The truth is, the first buffet I saw, I took photographs of it because it was very interesting. Lots of sauces, a lot of cakes, chocolate muffins, a box full of sweets. So we tried to put things right.
“When we arrived, we realised that the team was carrying excess baggage. I made a very simple comparison with the Sevilla team that we had been working with and, taking into account the size of the players, the team was basically 100 kilos over. So I immediately talked to Tottenham and we set the wheels in motion to change things.”
Former Spurs players Jamie O’Hara and Darren Bent have both spoken on talkSPORT about the strict diet implemented by Alvarez under Ramos.
O’Hara said: “When Juande Ramos came in, he bann ed ketchup and any sauce. He was big on it. It was dry pasta, chicken and that was for the whole time he was there. We went on a pre-season trip and that was tough when there’s no sauce to anything. You’re just eating dry chicken, pasta. I remember the security guy, Alan Dixon who is still there now, used to sneak the boys out and get McDonald’s.
“He was funny on the salt as well. No salt and pepper at dinner. It did make a difference because he did get the stats up and we were running more, but in the end you lose the players because eventually they say ‘I’ve had enough of this’.”