Chelsea confirm Xabi Alonso appointment as Liverpool option removed
Chelsea have confirmed the appointment of former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso as their new permanent manager
Liverpool icon Xabi Alonso has been appointed as Chelsea manager(Image: FADEL SENNA, AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea have confirmed former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso as the club’s new manager. Alonso, who will take up his new position on July 1, has put pen to paper on a four-year deal with the club and has been available since departing Real Madrid in January following just seven months in charge of the Spanish heavyweights.
Chelsea owners BlueCo have plumped for Alonso, whom they regard as one of the most exciting managerial prospects in European football, to lead their long-term vision at Stamford Bridge. Alonso has been handed the title of ‘manager’ rather than ‘head coach’, making him the first to assume that designation since Jose Mourinho during his second stint in 2013.
The hiring of Alonso is regarded as a significant coup for Chelsea, considering the former Bayer Leverkusen manager is still viewed as one of Europe’s top coaches.
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The 44-year-old has repeatedly been linked with the Liverpool position should the Reds opt to part company with Arne Slot, though the Dutchman continues to enjoy the backing of the Anfield hierarchy, despite fans showing their frustrations over the last couple of games.
The Reds have had a disappointing season as they looked to defend their Premier League title. They sit in fifth place in the table and lost 4-2 against Aston Villa in their last outing on Friday night, increasing calls for the club to part ways with Slot.
Should there be a change of mind at Anfield, there is no longer the option to bring Alonso back to Anfield, where he spent five years as a player.
football.london report that Alonso will be afforded greater authority at Chelsea than previous head coaches and will collaborate alongside the club’s five-strong sporting leadership group in this summer’s recruitment drive. It’s added that Alonso shares the sporting directors’ view on which areas of the squad require strengthening at the conclusion of the campaign.
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The Chelsea powerbrokers had been seeking the ideal candidate to succeed Liam Rosenior, who was dismissed last month. Rosenior was let go three months into a six-and-a-half-year deal.
Alonso, Andon Iraola and Marco Silva were among the managers under discussion, while Frank Lampard had also been touted for a dramatic return to Stamford Bridge.
However, it is Alonso who will become the fifth permanent appointment of the BlueCo ownership era, following Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, Enzo Maresca and Rosenior.
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Alonso has requested guarantees regarding how much control he will have over all elements of team matters – especially having been forced out by player power during his brief spell at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Defeat to Manchester City in Saturday’s FA Cup final at Wembley means Chelsea face the real possibility of being without European football next season.
