Chelsea reach agreement to hire Xabi Alonso as the next manager

Chelsea have reportedly reached an agreement to appoint Xabi Alonso as their next manager. The Spaniard has agreed a 4-year deal with the Blues, months after leaving Real Madrid.

According to a report in The Athletic, Alonso will be a manager, not just a head coach, at Stamford Bridge. The Blues are willing to give him more power at the club, including a say in transfers.

The 44-year-old is set to sign his contract next week and will be travelling to London. He is expected to be at Stamford Bridge for the Tottenham clash in the Premier League.

Alonso left his role at Real Madrid in January after losing the Spanish Super Cup final to Barcelona in Saudi Arabia. Los Blancos were just four points behind when he left, and they have now lost the title to the Catalan side and are 11 points behind with 2 games left in the season.

The manager was linked with Liverpool in 2024 when Jurgen Klopp announced his decision to leave, but he stayed at Bayer Leverkusen. He also had Bayern Munich showing interest in him, while some reports suggested that the Reds were also keeping tabs on him this year, but they have stuck with Arne Slot despite a poor season.

The Blues are without a manager for a month after sacking Liam Rosenior, who had replaced Enzo Maresca in January after the Italian left his role on New Year’s Day.

Chelsea have warned against signing Xabi Alonso

William Gallas spoke to BetVictor this month, urging Chelsea to appoint Cesc Fabregas over Xabi Alonso. He claimed that the Como manager is the ideal manager for the Blues and said:

“Is Xabi Alonso the best appointment for Chelsea? It depends on whether Cesc Fabregas is available or not. Alonso would be good at Chelsea, he has the experience of winning trophies at Bayer Leverkusen. That was a great season for him. He learnt some big lessons at Real Madrid too, which didn’t end well for him. If you asked me who I would prefer out of Alonso and Fabregas, I would rather Chelsea go get Fabregas.”

“Okay, he has less experience, but if they give him time, Fabregas can bring success to Chels in the future. Football has changed. Managers need time now. In the past, they needed instant success, but now managers of that new generation need to build teams over time, and I think Fabregas would do that. What he has done with Como is incredible, which is a young squad, too.”

Xabi Alonso will be the sixth permanent manager under BlueCo.