Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea backroom staff confirmed with seven-man list revealed

Xabi Alonso will officially begin his role as Chelsea manager on July 1 with the Spaniard’s backroom staff now being confirmed

Chelsea interim head coach Calum McFarlane will be part of Xabi Alonso’s backroom staff at Stamford Bridge, sources say, though his role is yet to be confirmed.

Alonso will officially begin his role as Blues manager on July 1 after it was announced on Sunday morning that the Spaniard had signed a four-year contract in west London. The 44-year-old will become BlueCo’s sixth permanent manager/head coach since they bought the club almost four years ago, with this appointment feeling like a hugely significant one in the ownership’s Stamford Bridge tenure.

Chelsea have given Alonso the ‘manager’ title to give the Spaniard more power in operations within the club, sources have told football.london . Even though Alonso does not officially start work until July, he has already chosen his backroom staff.

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McFarlane, who is in his second spell as interim head coach in a singular season, will continue working with the Chelsea first team. BlueCo believe McFarlane is an excellent young coach who will continue to progress, helped by working under Alonso.

Ben Roberts, Chelsea’s goalkeeping coach, will continue in his role at Stamford Bridge. Bernardo Cueva, the club’s set-piece coach, will also be part of Alonso’s staff. Elsewhere, the former Real Madrid boss will bring four men with him from his short spell at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Alonso’s long-time assistant coach Sebastian Parrilla will move to west London with the Spaniard. Parrilla has worked with Alonso for around eight years now – since the beginning of the new Chelsea manager’s coaching journey in Real Madrid’s academy. Parrilla then followed Alonso to Real Sociedad’s B team, Bayer Leverkusen and then Real Madrid.

Fellow assistants Alberto Encinas and Benat Labaien will also join Alonso at Chelsea, sources say. Fitness coach Ismael Camenforte Lopez will also help out Alonso in London.