Xabi Alonso is expected to have a lot of say in how things are run at Chelsea moving forward. It has been made clear time and again that he has been appointed as manager, not head coach. That comes with more power, control, as well as responsibility. Obviously, it has a lot to do with optics as well. It might be a way to signal to the fans that BlueCo are now willing to change their model after four years of failures.
It remains to be seen how much power and control Alonso has in practice. Now, it has been suggested that he will get his say when it comes to both arrivals and departures.
Some key players could be on their way out of Chelsea this summer. But it looks like Alonso is not ready to let one youngster go. And the new will go down well with a large section of the support.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have rejected approaches from clubs around Europe and two from the Premier League for Josh Acheampong. The defender is seen as untouchable in the new era under Alonso. It is the first decision made together between the Blues and the manager.
Xabi Alonso decides Josh Acheampong won’t be leaving Chelsea
So, it has been made clear that Acheampong is set to stay at Chelsea. He has a contract that runs until 2029. The Blues are under no pressure to make a decision.
That won’t be the case a year down the line though. It is about time that Acheampong starts getting the chances that he needs to develop at the senior level.
Acheampong has always been considered as someone who is rated highly by the club. Many even believe he has the potential to be world-class one day. Yet, the opportunities have not matches those expectations.
He featured sporadically under Enzo Maresca. On paper, Liam Rosenior had looked like the perfect coach for him but his chances ended up decreasing further. Now, it is up to Alonso to turn his career around.
Can Acheampong turn his career around under Alonso?
The fact that Alonso has decided that Acheampong won’t be leaving should go a long way in assuring the player that chances are on the horizon. Now, let’s not forget, the Spaniard does have a record of getting the best out of youngsters.
We all know what he managed to achieve at Bayer Leverkusen. He turned players like Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and several others into the best in their positions.
Even at Real Madrid, he worked well with the likes of Arda Guler, Gonzalo Garcia, Franco Mastantuono and more. So, it is quite clear that Alonso is someone who is very open to help develop youngsters, even when at high pressure clubs.
That should be music to the ears of the fans who are hoping to see Acheampong get more chances. This could really be his breakout season.
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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