It has been made abundantly clear in the media that Xabi Alonso is coming in as the manager of Chelsea Football Club, not a head coach. That would lead one to believe that he will have a lot more power than his predecessors. And perhaps that is the need of the hour at Stamford Bridge. The current model clearly has not worked. Despite spending close to two billion pounds, they have failed to put together a squad that can qualify for Europe.
So, perhaps Chelsea do need a voice like Alonso to guide them. And in many ways, this appointment might have been made at the perfect time. Pep Guardiola is leaving Manchester City, and there could be a lot more competition for the top spot than there was in the past decade.
Yes, Arsenal won the Premier League, ending a two-decade-plus wait. But it was not the greatest performance by any stretch of the imagination. And if other clubs improve over the summer, there is no guarantee that they will be good enough to retain their title next season.
If the Blues are to have any hope of closing that gap, they will need to be near perfect in the transfer window. And it has been made clear what Alonso wants. According to Chelsea.news, Simon Phillips wrote:
“Xabi Alonso has said that he ideally wants to sign two new defenders.
“Initially I believed that was centre backs, although there is a chance it could be one centre back and a left back to replace Marc Cucurella. A lot depends on other departures and how many centre backs we lose/sell.”
Chelsea do need a couple of centre-backs at least this summer
Whether Marc Cucurella stays or leaves, that cannot take away from the fact that a couple of centre-backs are needed at Chelsea. And that is the least they should be aiming for.
Let’s not forget, quite a few could be heading for the exit door as well. Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi and Josh Acheampong are all players who have question marks over their future.
If quite a few of them leave, it would leave Chelsea short of options at centre-back. And signing a couple would be the safest route as well, as one of them might end up flopping, who knows!
What does the future hold for Marc Cucurella?
Obviously, there has been a lot of talk about Enzo Fernandez potentially leaving in the summer over the last few days. But one cannot overlook Cucurella either.
Cucurella has been a very important part of this starting XI for a while as well. This season, his form has been up and down a bit.
But nobody can deny that he is one of the best in the league on his day. So, if he does leave, Chelsea will need to bring in a quality replacement.
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.
View all articles →