Chelsea name Xabi Alonso as manager on four-year contract from July

LONDON, England (AP): Chelsea have brought in Xabi Alonso as head coach on a four-year agreement that begins next season, handing the Spaniard the job after a brief and difficult stint at Real Madrid and asking him to steady a side that has struggled for coherence under its American owners.

Alonso will officially start on July 1 in place of Liam Rosenior, who was dismissed last month. He becomes the fifth permanent manager chosen by Chelsea’s owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, since they acquired the Premier League club in 2022.

He spent only eight months with Madrid before departing the Spanish club by mutual agreement in January, following weak results and extensive reporting that he had lost authority in a dressing room marked by internal conflict and friction this term.

Earlier, the former Spain international had earned wide praise at Bayer Leverkusen, where he guided the team to the German championship and an unbeaten domestic run in the 2023-24 campaign. Chelsea called Alonso “one of the most respected figures in the modern game”.

“From my conversations with the ownership group and sporting leadership, it is clear we share the same ambition,” Alonso said in a Chelsea statement. “We want to build a team capable of competing consistently at the highest level and fighting for trophies.”

The London club have gone eight years without a domestic trophy, though they were European champions in 2021 and lifted the Club World Cup last summer against many analysts’ forecasts.

Even so, Chelsea appear a long shot for next season’s Champions League and could fail to qualify for any European competition after a sharp decline in the second half of the current campaign. Saturday’s FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City confirmed a season without silverware.

“There is great talent in the squad and huge potential at this football club and it will be my great honour to lead it,” Alonso said. “Now the focus is on hard work, building the right culture and winning trophies.”

PRESSURE FROM ALL SIDES

Rosenior’s turbulent exit closed on a messy note, and Chelsea’s ownership said it would carry out “a process of self-reflection” before naming his successor, as fan unease grows over the club’s direction and its finances after years of heavy outlay.

In the four seasons under Boehly and Clearlake, roughly US$2.5 billion has gone on new signings, largely young and unproven players on lengthy deals, while debt has climbed toward US$2 billion, according to figures gathered by The Athletic.

The club’s latest accounts showed pre-tax losses of US$350 million, a Premier League-era high.

Against that backdrop, Alonso—long rumoured as a possible appointment at Liverpool, another of his former clubs—takes over at a side he called “one of the biggest clubs in world football”.

“His appointment,” Chelsea said, “reflects the club’s belief in his broad set of experiences, coaching quality and game model, leadership attributes, character and integrity, which were key to the decision to ask him to help lead the next phase of Chelsea’s journey.

“He is regarded not only as an outstanding football coach, but also as a proven leader and partner across a number of areas essential to the demands of driving the team.”