{"id":9896,"date":"2026-05-18T04:04:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T04:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=9896"},"modified":"2026-05-18T04:04:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T04:04:00","slug":"how-much-power-will-xabi-alonso-have-as-chelsea-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=9896","title":{"rendered":"How much power will Xabi Alonso have as Chelsea manager?"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\u2018Manager\u2019 is a word that continues to be used interchangeably with head coach by football fans across the world. Let\u2019s be honest, nobody really uses the latter. Yet, the role has transformed a lot over the past few decades. And Chelsea supporters will know that better than most.<\/p>\n

One complaint that fans have had for a while now is how the club\u2019s head coaches have not had much say on football matters and transfers. They have been viewed as those with the job of coaching the players signed by the recruitment team. At least that has been the view from the outside looking in.<\/p>\n

Well, it has been made abundantly clear over the past 24 hours that Xabi Alonso is going to be the manager of the club, not the head coach. But what does that exactly mean? And how much say will the Spaniard really have?<\/p>\n

According to MaxFSport, Alonso\u2019s power will entail recommending player positions. Also, the club won\u2019t sign anyone without his say-so. The same applies to departures. Recruitment meetings have been scheduled. But Chelsea will only sign any specific recommendations if they also agree on the player.<\/p>\n

Xabi Alonso has been given the title \u2018manager\u2019 by the club<\/h2>\n

A lot of this might have to do with the optics of the situation as well. The club will know that the fans have wanted this for a while.<\/p>\n

And they have now come out to make sure that it is quite visible that they have done just that by bringing in Alonso as the manager. How much practical power he will have remains to be seen. We will only truly understand that when those situations unfold in real time.<\/p>\n

Right now, it is all theory and promises. But on paper, things do look promising. Hopefully, that is how it will continue to be as well.<\/p>\n

Who will Alonso sign in the summer?<\/h2>\n

It will be very interesting to see what kind of players Alonso ends up targeting in the summer window. The club have already been linked with centre-backs as well as wingers, with Kenan Yildiz being mentioned as someone the Spaniard has been impressed with for a while.<\/p>\n

Alonso does not expected have a history of signing big-money players. The biggest transfer made by a team managed by him is Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth to Real Madrid last summer for a fee in the region of \u00a350 million. Incidentally, he was wanted by Chelsea as well.<\/p>\n

In that same summer, Real Madrid also signed Franco Mastantuono and Alvaro Carreras, two more youngsters. One has to wonder how much say he had on those moves.<\/p>\n

At the same time, it is clear that he understands the importance of experience as well, as evidenced by the signings of players like Granit Xhaka and Borja Iglesias during his time at Bayer Leverkusen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Sourav<\/div>\n

Sourav Mahanty has covered teams like Chelsea, Celtic, Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSG and more over a career that has now lasted a decade.
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\nHis work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Athlon Sports, SB Nation, FanSided, The Sportster and aggregated through Bleacher Report and NewsNow.
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\nOutside of football, he is also interested in basketball, cricket and professional wrestling.<\/p>\n

View all articles \u2192<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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