Chelsea have appointed Xabi Alonso as their new manager, replacing Liam Rosenior who was sacked last month.
Bournemouth outgoing manager Andoni Iraola and Fulham’s Marco Silva were also considered, before Chelsea opted for the former Liverpool midfielder.
Alonso established himself as one of the leading tacticians in Europe at Bayer Leverkusen, guiding them to their first ever Bundesliga title.
He joined Real Madrid last summer, but left the Spanish giants by mutual consent in January after a run of poor results.
Rio Ferdinand reacts to Alonso’s appointment
Pundit Rio Ferdinand is surprised that Alonso has chosen to join Chelsea, revealing he expected him to wait for an opportunity at Liverpool.
The Spaniard had been touted as one of the managers who could replace manager Arne Slot, following the Dutchman’s struggles at Liverpool this season.
“I’m actually surprised he’s gone there,” Ferdinand said on Rio Ferdinand presents.
“I’m not saying he’s the wrong choice. The reason is because I thought he would have been patient enough to wait and see how the Arne Slot situation at Liverpool would play out.”
The former Manchester United defender suggested that Chelsea offered Alonso a significant financial offer, which could have persuaded him to join the club.
“But Chelsea have acted quickly, they’ve probably put something in front of him with some big numbers as well that has turned his head and he’s just thought, ‘I’m going to go for it!’,” he added.
He concluded that Alonso could be a good fit for the Blues because he ‘knows how to put a team together’.
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Alonso’s appointment signals change in direction for Chelsea
Chelsea’s heirarchy will reportedly allow Alonso to be involved in decision making, particularly regarding recruitment — a privilege that was not given to former head coaches.
Alonso impressed during negotiations, where he ‘talked about wanting to sign and create mentality monsters‘, convincing Chelsea that he should be a ‘manager’, rather than a coach.
This represents a change in direction from the club, who have until now, given coaches little or no say in the club’s recruitment and the management of players.
This problem was laid bare under Enzo Maresca, who ‘felt the club were telling him who to pick, based on a player’s value‘. His criticism led to his eventual dismissal.
Chelsea will hope the new approach brings stability and success under Alonso.