Xabi Alonso is set to be confirmed as Chelsea’s next permanent manager and will begin work on July 1, and it has emerged that Chelsea spoke to Real Madrid about the Spaniard before appointing him.
Alonso is set for his third spell in senior management at Stamford Bridge after a superb stint in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen, before winning 24 of his 34 games as Real Madrid boss, only to end up sacked.
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Plenty have been linked with Chelsea over the last few weeks since Liam Rosenior was sacked, but Alonso emerged as the favourite to take over, and reports surfaced immediately after the FA Cup final defeat.
Alonso is set to sign a four-year contract at Chelsea, lasting until the summer of 2030 – two years less than the deal Liam Rosenior signed. BlueCo has decided to make Alonso ‘manager’, not ‘head coach’.
Chelsea received a ‘glowing reference’ from Real Madrid
Alonso was sacked by Real Madrid in January, sitting just four points behind Barcelona in the race for the La Liga title. Now, Madrid are a whopping 14 points behind their rivals with Barcelona winning the title.
It was claimed that Alonso had fallen out with Madrid’s best players, supposedly losing the dressing room. Former Blues star Thibaut Courtois has since denied that was the case, but there were rumours.
Girona FC v Real Madrid CF - LaLiga EA Sports
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Ultimately, Alonso was seen as the problem, but now, a few months down the line, it is quite clear that it was not the Spaniard at fault. Chelsea have benefited, luring the former Liverpool midfielder to London.
According to Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol, Chelsea actually asked ‘senior figures’ at Valdebebas about Alonso, and Solhekol claims that the Blues received a ‘glowing reference’ regarding the manager.
“Chelsea have no concerns about Alonso’s experience managing Madrid. Alonso had a win percentage of more than 70%, winning 24 of 34 games. Senior figures at Real Madrid gave him glowing references.”
When will Chelsea fans first see Xabi Alonso in the dugout?
As aforementioned, Alonso is set to begin work as Chelsea manager on July 1. While an announcement is expected before the weekend draws to a close, it will be six weeks before Alonso actually takes office.
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Obviously, Alonso will start to have a say on the things going on behind the scenes at Chelsea. The Blues will go on pre-season tour of both Australia and Asia, and their first pre-season fixture is on July 28.
The Blues will take on Western Sydney Wanderers, and while it will be without their World Cup players, Alonso will be on the touchline down under. For now, Chelsea have two Premier League games to play.
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