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Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has revealed why he is \u201csurprised\u201d by Chelsea appointing Xabi Alonso as their new manager.<\/p>\n
Over the weekend, it was confirmed that Liverpool legend Alonso<\/strong> has struck a deal with Chelsea to become their new manager ahead of next season.<\/p>\n Interestingly, Alonso has been named Chelsea<\/strong> manager instead of head coach, so he should have more power over transfers than previous bosses have had under BlueCo.<\/p>\n Alonso retains a strong reputation after working wonders at Bayer Leverkusen, and he has been gearing up for a return to management since leaving Real Madrid at the start of this year.<\/p>\n Liverpool initially seemed the natural next step for Alonso, but they could stick with current boss Arne Slot and Chelsea have swooped to appoint the Spaniard instead.<\/p>\n But Ferdinand is \u201csurprised\u201d that Alonso opted against biding his time for the Liverpool job to become available.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m actually surprised he\u2019s gone there. I\u2019m not saying he\u2019s the wrong choice,\u201d Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel.<\/p>\n READ: Chelsea and Xabi Alonso an \u2018odd match\u2019 as Klopp comparison made \u201cThe reason I\u2019m surprised he\u2019s gone there is because I thought he would have been patient enough to wait and see how the Arne Slot situation at Liverpool would play out.<\/p>\n \u201cEx-Liverpool player, loved the club, always speaks well about the club, and you just think that was a relationship waiting to happen behind the scenes.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he\u2019d just sat tight, the way things are going at the moment, the way things are unfolding at Liverpool, surely he\u2019s next in the queue to get that job.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Chelsea have acted quickly, they\u2019ve probably put something in front of him with some big numbers as well that has turned his head and he\u2019s just thought, \u2018I\u2019m going to go for it!\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cOr he\u2019s just thought, \u2018Do you know what? I can\u2019t just sit here, hope and wait, and be guessing about what\u2019s going to happen at Liverpool if an opportunity like this is here\u2019\u2026 it\u2019s a big club, Chelsea.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE: Predicting how Xabi Alonso could have Chelsea lining up next season<\/strong><\/p>\n A report from Football Insider and ex-Premier League chief scout Mick Brown claims Alonso\u2019s \u2018first task\u2019 at Chelsea will be to oversee a \u2018six-man exodus\u2019 once he has properly assessed his squad.<\/p>\n \u201cAlonso has a huge job on his hands at Chelsea,\u201d Brown told Football Insider.<\/p>\n \u201cHis first job as Chelsea manager is to assess what he\u2019s got in that squad, the good and the bad, and to quickly get rid of the bad influences.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s much easier said than done, but he has to pick through that squad, assess which players he wants to be part of his side, and identify those he will want to get rid of.<\/p>\n READ NEXT: 16 Conclusions from the FA Cup final: Semenyo, Alonso, Guardiola, Salah, Haaland fury<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe way this Chelsea squad has been with managers this season, I would suggest there a fair few players he will want to get rid of when he comes in.<\/p>\n \u201cFive or six players in that Chelsea team will either be seen as not good enough or bad influences, and it\u2019s on Alonso now to assess who those players are.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has to root out the negativity and be ruthless with it, it doesn\u2019t matter who the players are or how good they might be, bad attitudes need to be moved on.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/div>\n
<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cFive or six players in that Chelsea team will be seen as not good enough or bad influences\u2026\u201d<\/h2>\n