Most Chelsea fans will be pleased to see Xabi Alonso making his way to Stamford Bridge, but Joe Cole thinks it’s a PR stunt from the Chelsea owners.
The Chelsea hierarchy’s decision to announce the agreement with Xabi Alonso immediately following the FA Cup final seems a calculated move designed to reshape the narrative. Following intense fan protests on Wembley Way and the heartbreak of another trophy-less afternoon, the BlueCo owners recognised the urgent need for a distraction.
By locking down a manager of Alonso’s pedigree so rapidly, the board is attempting to pacify a deeply exhausted fanbase and shift the focus entirely toward a hopeful future.
However, it’s certainly a step in the right direction after more of a yes man appointment in Liam Rosenior last time out, with plenty of excitement about what this summer might hold.
Has Xabi Alonso chosen the right TWO players to build his Chelsea team around?🤔
Xabi Alonso wants to keep Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella
Photo by Alvaro Medranda/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
Joe Cole claims the Chelsea owners are pulling off a PR play
Speaking on TNT Sports after Chelsea’s defeat to Manchester City, Joe Cole wasn’t too pleased with the timing of the announcement involving Xabi Alonso.
“The fact that the Xabi Alonso news has dropped now after losing an FA Cup final stinks of a PR move.
“The club needs to get away from that. It’s all over the place at the moment. Fans want honesty.”
There were a number of questionable calls from VAR and Darren England🤔
Chelsea penalty incident during FA Cup final against Man City
Via – ITV Live Coverage
Joe Cole has never been a fan of the Chelsea owners
One of the biggest issues that Joe Cole has had with the Chelsea owners is their decision-making when it comes to certain incidents and situations at Stamford Bridge.
“You give them a long-term contract and it secures the value on the asset.
“But now you come to the where the rubber hits the road, where with Enzo, you got him for another four or five years.
“So he’s secured, but you’re going to have an unhappy player for four or five years. So this is where I think the ownership group they don’t have anyone in that in that group who has been a top player who understands the mindset, understands all the intricacies.
“Yeah. And so when they’ve come to this place, they’ve all sat around and probably gone right, how do we deal with this, because this can’t go well. He can’t be saying he wants to leave every five minutes. So they’ve gone, “Right, we’re going to ban him for two games.” And one of the games is the Man City game.
“So I mean I mean, if they had someone in the room, you need to pre-empt this type of stuff because you can’t just be banning players for talking about if he wants to leave.”
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox