{"id":10876,"date":"2026-05-19T20:30:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T20:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=10876"},"modified":"2026-05-19T20:30:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T20:30:34","slug":"xabi-alonso-says-yes-to-chelsea-in-huge-manager-twist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=10876","title":{"rendered":"Xabi Alonso Says Yes to Chelsea in Huge Manager Twist"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"content-main\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--post-header--><\/p>\n<div id=\"post-feat-img\" class=\"left relative\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" class=\"attachment- size- wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-58.webp 1200w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-58-600x338.webp 600w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-58-768x432.webp 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-58.webp\"\/><img width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-58.webp\" class=\"attachment- size- wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-58.webp 1200w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-58-600x338.webp 600w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-58-768x432.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-58.webp\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1200\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"675\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--post-feat-text--><\/p><\/div>\n<p><!--post-feat-img--><\/p>\n<section class=\"social-sharing-top\">\n<p><span class=\"fb-but1\"><i class=\"fa-brands fa-facebook-f\"\/><\/span><span class=\"social-text\">Share<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#\" onclick=\"window.open('http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=Xabi Alonso Says Yes to Chelsea in Huge Manager Twist -&amp;url=https:\/\/sixsports.in\/xabi-alonso-says-yes-to-chelsea-in-huge-manager-twist\/', 'twitterShare', 'width=626,height=436'); return false;\" title=\"Share This Post\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"twitter-but1\"><i class=\"fa-brands fa-x-twitter\"\/><\/span><span class=\"social-text\">Share<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"whatsapp-but1\"><i class=\"fa fa-whatsapp fa-2\"\/><\/span><span class=\"social-text\">Share<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"pinterest-but1\"><i class=\"fa-brands fa-pinterest-p\"\/><\/span><span class=\"social-text\">Share<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"email-but\"><i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-2\"\/><\/span><span class=\"social-text\">Email<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p><!--social-sharing-top--><\/p>\n<div class=\"sx-entity-card\">\n<div class=\"sx-entity-top\">\n<div class=\"sx-entity-logo\">\n                <img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"350\" height=\"350\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"CHELSEA\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/chelsea_fc_logo-1.avif\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"350\" height=\"350\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/chelsea_fc_logo-1.avif\" alt=\"CHELSEA\"\/>\n            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"sx-entity-description\">\n<p>            Chelsea is one of England\u2019s premier football clubs, competing in the Premier League and European competitions such as the UEFA Champions League. Known for its strong squad, tactical versatility, and competitive history, Chelsea has won multiple league titles, domestic cups,\u2026            <a class=\"sx-entity-readmore\" href=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/team\/chelsea\/\"><br \/>\n                Read More about CHELSEA\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Xabi Alonso and Chelsea manager news has taken over the football world. The Spaniard has agreed a four-year deal at Stamford Bridge. He starts on July 1, 2026. It is one of the biggest signings the Blues have made in years.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-xabi-alonso-and-chelsea-manager-news-how-the-deal-got-done\"><strong>Xabi Alonso and Chelsea Manager News: How the Deal Got Done?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Chelsea knew who they wanted. Talks moved fast, and they went and got him. Xabi Alonso quickly became the club\u2019s top pick, and discussions accelerated in just a few days.<\/p>\n<p><strong>According to<\/strong> Teamtalk, there was one issue to sort out. He could have demanded full control over transfers, but he did not. The ex-Madrid manager does not want total control over recruitment. He knows the west London club already has a strong squad and wants to add the right players in the right spots.<\/p>\n<p>That made things easy. Both sides agreed quickly. Teamtalk <strong>also reported<\/strong> that Chelsea\u2019s sporting leadership group- Stewart, Winstanley, Shields, Jewell, and Fallows- all backed him as the clear number one choice. When a club speaks with one voice, deals get done. And this one did.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Read More:<\/em><\/strong> <strong><em>Joao Pedro transfer takes surprise turn after London trip<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-xabi-alonso-was-always-the-top-name-on-chelsea-s-list\"><strong>Why Xabi Alonso Was Always the Top Name on Chelsea\u2019s List?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>As per<\/strong> Sky Sports, Chelsea needed a new boss fast. They sacked Liam Rosenior in April after just three months. That left them ninth in the Premier League table. So they had to act, and act well.<\/p>\n<p>Xabi Alonso ticked every box. Sky Sports <strong>also reported<\/strong> that club chiefs see him as one of the most respected young coaches in football. They like his calm style. They also like his ability to change formations and adapt. He did that extensively while managing Real Madrid for 7-8 months in the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Xabi Alonso for Real Madrid<\/strong>as per Fotmob:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\">\n<table class=\"has-fixed-layout\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>2025\/26<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Matches<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Win<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Draw<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Loss<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Win %<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>All Competitions<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">34<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">24<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">4<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">6<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">71<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<p><strong>According to<\/strong> Transfermarkt, he led Bayer Leverkusen through a full season without a single defeat. They won the Bundesliga that year. That kind of run is rare. In fact, it had never been done before in that league.<\/p>\n<p>On top of that, he knows English . <strong>According to<\/strong> Al Jazeera, he played 210 games for Liverpool before moving to Real Madrid in 2009. Therefore, the Blues felt he was the perfect fit.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Read More: Tariq Lamptey released by Fiorentina after ACL horror<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-202691\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-120.webp 1200w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-120-600x338.webp 600w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-120-768x432.webp 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-120.webp\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-120.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-202691\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-120.webp 1200w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-120-600x338.webp 600w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-120-768x432.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-does-this-chelsea-manager-news-mean-going-forward\"><strong>What Does This Chelsea Manager News Mean Going Forward?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Al Jazeera <strong>also reported<\/strong> that this Chelsea manager news signals a big shift. Xabi Alonso is now the fifth permanent boss under BlueCo. He follows Potter, Pochettino, Maresca, and Rosenior. Each one came with hope. But none delivered. So now the club is trying something different.<\/p>\n<p>The money spent so far has been huge. The Stamford Bridge club has put \u00a31.8 billion into transfers since 2022, <strong>as per a report<\/strong> from Al Jazeera. Yet the results have not matched the investment. That has to change. He knows it too.<\/p>\n<p><strong>According to<\/strong> Chelsea FC\u2019s official statement, Xabi made his goals clear right away. He said that he and the club share the same drive. To build a side that fights for trophies at the top level. Those are the words Chelsea fans have waited to hear.<\/p>\n<p><strong>According to<\/strong> Sky Sports, they want to bring in experienced, ready-made players this summer. A new centre-back is high on the list. Moreover, winning the biggest trophies is the long-term goal, and the club believes Alonso is the right man for that job.<\/p>\n<p>Gary Neville said it best on Sky Sports, \u201c<strong><em>It is quite telling. It looks like they\u2019re handing him the keys to the safe and saying: \u2018Go on\u2019.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>  That trust could change everything. Xabi Alonso and Chelsea are ready to write a new chapter together. July 1 cannot come soon enough.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Read More: Estevao World Cup dream crushed by brutal Brazil decision<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"preferred-source-box\" style=\"margin-top:40px;padding:25px;background: #1865b4;border:1px solid #ddd;border-radius:8px;text-align:center;\">\n<h2 style=\"font-size:24px;margin-bottom:10px;color:#fff;\">ENJOYED THIS STORY?<\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-size:16px;margin-bottom:20px;color:#fff;\">\n<p>                    Add Six Sports as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting\n                <\/p>\n<p>                    <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" style=\"max-width:260px;height:auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/img\/google-trusted-source\/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.webp\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/img\/google-trusted-source\/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.webp\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" style=\"max-width:260px;height:auto;\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"after-article-links\" style=\"margin-top:20px; font-size:14px;\">Follow the latest updates from <strong>Premier League<\/strong>, <strong>The League<\/strong> and<br \/>\n        <strong>Champions League<\/strong>or explore more<br \/>\n        <strong>Football<\/strong> stories, <strong>Football Teams<\/strong> &#038; <strong>All Football Competitions<\/strong> . Follow more updates on CHELSEA. You can also check <strong>Latest Sports News<\/strong> or visit <strong>Six Sports<\/strong> for more Football updates.<\/div>\n<div class=\"fe-author-box\" itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\">\n<div class=\"fe-author-avatar\">\n        <img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ffe9f843f387ba0534380c0ff06ab28dd5e7f2371bbe3d356d549067f6389aaa?s=200&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-100 photo\" height=\"100\" width=\"100\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ffe9f843f387ba0534380c0ff06ab28dd5e7f2371bbe3d356d549067f6389aaa?s=100&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ffe9f843f387ba0534380c0ff06ab28dd5e7f2371bbe3d356d549067f6389aaa?s=100&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g\" srcset=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ffe9f843f387ba0534380c0ff06ab28dd5e7f2371bbe3d356d549067f6389aaa?s=200&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-100 photo\" height=\"100\" width=\"100\" decoding=\"async\"\/>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mvp-org-wrap\" itemprop=\"publisher\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Organization\">\n<div class=\"mvp-org-logo\" itemprop=\"logo\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"690\" height=\"145\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Six-Sports.png\" src-webp=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Six-Sports.png.webp\" class=\"ewww_webp_lazy_load\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"690\" height=\"145\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Six-Sports.png\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Six-Sports.png\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><!--mvp-org-logo--><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Six Sports\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><!--mvp-org-wrap--><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--posts-nav-link--><\/p>\n<div class=\"mentioned-article-block\">\n<h3 class=\"mentioned-title\">Mentioned in this Article<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--comments-button--><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--comments-->\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Share Share Share Share Email Chelsea is one of England\u2019s premier football clubs, competing in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4127,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10876\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}