Xabi Alonso is the Chelsea manager. The announcement has been made official by the club itself. There are no ifs, buts, or maybes about the situation anymore. Also, let’s not overlook the emphasis on the word ‘manager’, not ‘head coach’.
Alonso is expected to have much more of a say on football matters and transfers than previous managers under BlueCo. It looks like the ownership have learned from their mistakes over the past four years and are now eager to change things up.
There has also been a lot of talk about the club signing ready-made and proven players this summer. It remains to be seen whether they deliver or not. They have on the managerial front.
Also, it would not mean that the Blues will completely move away from their strategy of signing highly-rated youngsters. And following the appointment of Alonso, they are being linked with one of his favourites from his spell as Real Madrid manager.
Chelsea linked with Alonso favourite from Real Madrid stint
Some reports in Spain have suggested that Chelsea could be a possible destination for Franco Mastantuono. His future at Real Madrid already seems uncertain after criticism from the supporters.
Mastantuono, still just 18 years of age, has struggled in his debut season for the club. He has scored three goals and provided one assist in 33 games for Los Blancos. For a player who was being likened to Lamine Yamal, that is nowhere near good enough.
Mastantuono played a decent bit of football under Alonso. In fact, the Spaniard was believed to have played a key role in the Argentine joining Real Madrid when there was interest from all across Europe. Rumours suggested Chelsea were one of the clubs interested.
Could Franco Mastantuono leave Real Madrid already?
Real Madrid have shown a ton of patience with their young talents in the past. The likes of Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo did not come as ready-made players either. But this is a different time period for the club.
They are struggling for success and have gone trophyless again. Since the arrival of Kylian Mbappe, they have not won a major trophy. And of course, time is always of the essence at a club like Real Madrid. They cannot have a long transition.
So, Real Madrid will need to try and find solutions this summer. Could that mean letting go of players like Mastantuono and replacing them with proven names?
Do not be surprised if Chelsea end up asking the question. That being said, do the Blues need that profile? Mastantuono is a left-footed winger who prefers to play on the right flank. The club already have Estevao and Pedro Neto, with Geovany Quenda set to arrive this summer.
Sourav Mahanty
Sourav Mahanty has covered teams like Chelsea, Celtic, Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSG and more over a career that has now lasted a decade. His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Athlon Sports, SB Nation, FanSided, The Sportster and aggregated through Bleacher Report and NewsNow. Outside of football, he is also interested in basketball, cricket and professional wrestling.
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