BlueCo deserve credit for Xabi Alonso appointment, but must sign whoever he wants at Chelsea

Chelsea have impressed with the prize appointment of Xabi Alonso as their new manager.

However, the Inside Chelsea panel on talkSPORT have insisted that he can only be successful if owners BlueCo fully back him in the market.

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Alonso has signed a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge and is set to officially begin his tenure on July 1.

The Spaniard was last at Real Madrid but most notably led Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten Bundesliga title win in the 2023/24 season.

Chelsea have got Alonso through the door ahead of the summer in an appointment that has the role shift from a head coach to a manager.

Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva were other targets but it’s their former Liverpool foe who has been chosen to spearhead the new era.

When reacting to the news on this week’s episode of Inside Chelsea, ex-Blue Jason Cundy offered praise to the club’s ownership.

BlueCo have been the subject of angry protests from fans amid a poor season, but now warranted applause for bringing in Alonso.

“It’s a big coup, I wasn’t convinced he’d come,” Cundy said. “Honestly, I did not think (with) the way that the club had been perceived, the ownership model, the head coach role, I just wasn’t convinced that this was a move that he would make.

“I think that we’ve got to give credit to the board. What’s really interesting, I think (is) very significant, is the fact that he is being called a manager, not a head coach.

“I think that gives you some indication as to what the meeting would have looked and sounded like, (Alonso) wants a bit more control.

“I think the owners and everyone connected have owned up that there have been mistakes made. I think it’s pretty obvious, you can’t have a manager employed for 106 days, as Liam Rosenior was.

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“I think there’s been a bit of self-reflection, and I think that the criticism that has come their way, some fairly, some unfairly… I think this is an admission, ‘We haven’t quite got it right, and we’re going to move forward in a different direction’.

“I wasn’t convinced he’d come, Iraola was my choice… I felt Iraola was gettable, I wasn’t convinced Xabi Alonso was gettable. But now he’s there, and what he achieved at Leverkusen…

“I know at Real Madrid, things didn’t go well. Real Madrid… if we think we’re a basket case of a club, Real Madrid, they’re on steroids. It failed there for whatever reason, they actually haven’t continued to go down a path they wanted to go down since he left in January.

“It’s a big, big decision, big, big move, well done. Four-year contract, as a manager. I’m excited, and I can’t wait to see how this plays out, what the recruitment is going to be like, who stays, who goes.

“When we play Spurs, those Chelsea players will know, there is Xabi Alonso watching, they will put in a performance, that’s what footballers are like. Overall, absolutely delighted.”

“To everyone concerned, well done, very excited,” Cundy added. “But let’s make sure we give him the best opportunity to succeed.”

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Matisse Armani also claimed that Alonso, who won the World Cup as a player, can help attract top signings with his reputation in the game.

“No disrespect to the previous managers we’ve had, but we haven’t had that level of person… he knows football better than anybody else in that building, so people should just be listening to him, taking on his advice,” Armani began.

“He’s been a player at Bayern (Munich), Real Madrid, Liverpool. He’s worked under (Carlo) Ancelotti, (Jose) Mourinho, (Rafael) Benitez, he knows what a top club is meant to look like.”

Host Olivia Buzaglo then called for the sporting leadership team at Chelsea to support Alonso when it comes to identifying transfers.

“On talkSPORT Breakfast, we were talking to Ray Parlour about Arsene Wenger and how big of an impact David Dein (former Arsenal vice-chairman) played in that as well,” she said.

“David Dein would be like, ‘What about this player?’ He would suggest players and Arsene Wenger would have the final say.

“I don’t mind if they want to suggest players and Xabi Alonso has the final say, but if Xabi Alonso wants a left winger, you go and get him that left winger.

“That is how it needs to be initially for this to even start to be successful.”

“Every manager can’t have every single player he wants,” Cundy replied. “Sometimes it’s not possible, sometimes the fee isn’t right…

“Okay, let’s go and get (Khvicha) Kvaratskhelia, that ain’t happening, for example. But, the DNA of a player that he wants, there has to be some joined-up thinking.

“I think what we found at the club between the hierarchy, going down to the sporting directors, to the squad, that joined-up thinking, there was a gap, and that gap was exposed.

“If there’s joined-up thinking, Xabi Alonso… there’s a relationship, and that relationship’s got to be built, it’s got to be built on trust.

“Get the right players, get the players out that Xabi Alonso doesn’t feel that are necessary to the squad. There’s so many moving parts to this, and they’ve got time now.

“I know the football season is coming up quickly but actually, from where we are right now, to where we are on July 1, going into next season, there is enough time to get your ducks in a row.”

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