Will new Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso take charge before the end of the season? And will he have control over transfers?
Sign up to our newsletter for the most distinctive football content delivered direct to your inbox
Sign up
Thank you for signing up!
Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to 3 Added Minutes, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
Submitting...
After weeks of speculation, Chelsea have formally announced their new head coach: Xabi Alonso, the former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen manager, will take over in the wake of Liam Rosenior’s sacking.
Alonso was among the world’s most in-demand coaches, his reputation largely unaffected by a disappointingly brief spell in the Spanish capital which saw him sacked after less than eight months in charge of a chaotic Real Madrid side. Chelsea appear to have achieved something of a coup in appointing a coach who was also strongly linked with a return to Liverpool, the club he represented with distinction as a player. But when does Alonso start his reign at Stamford Bridge?
Will Xabi Alonso manage Chelsea vs Spurs?
While Chelsea have confirmed that Alonso will be their new permanent head coach, he isn’t set to take over immediately – instead, current interim coach Calum McFarlane will continue to take charge for the final two matches of the Premier League season.
That means that Alonso won’t be on the touchline for the midweek match at home to Tottenham Hotspur, nor against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on the final day of the season this coming Sunday.
Instead, the Spaniard will officially start his tenure as Chelsea head coach on 1 July, a date which will mark the beginning of a four-year contract. Alonso’s first game in charge is currently scheduled to take place in Sydney, against A-League outfit Western Syndey Wanderers on 31 July in a pre-season friendly.
Alonso’s arrival coincides with the end of a frustrating campaign which started with considerable promise before descending into chaos following the departure of Enzo Maresca. The Italian’s successor, Rosenior, lasted just 23 games, with the club sinking out of the race for Champions League qualification after he took charge.
Chelsea now face an uphill battle to qualify for European football of any form – ahead of the match against relegation-threatened Spurs, the club lie in 10th position, three points below Brentford, the team who currently occupy eighth place, which would make them the lowest-placed team in continental competition next season. Alonso will be wholly reliant on McFarlane’s efforts to ensure that he is managing the Blues in Europe during his first campaign as head coach.
Will Alonso have control over transfers at Chelsea?
When stories about negotiations to bring Alonso to Stamford Bridge first surfaced, there had been some reports which suggested that he might be given the title of manager, implying direct control over recruitment and transfers as well as training and tactical decisions – but Alonso has, instead, been named as head coach.
While that would typically mean that incoming and outgoing transfers were handled by a separate recruitment team, The Evening Standard report that sources state that Alonso will have a higher degree of control over the club’s dealings that his predecessors, although precisely how much control he might have remains unclear.
Alonso has not yet given an introductory press conference at which such questions might be addressed, and didn’t provide any information about the specifics of his role behind the scenes in a brief statement provided after the announcement of his new job.
"Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in world football and it fills me with immense pride to become manager of this great club," Alonso said.
"From my conversations with the ownership group and sporting leadership, it is clear we share the same ambition. We want to build a team capable of competing consistently at the highest level and fighting for trophies.
"There is great talent in the squad and huge potential at this football club and it will be my great honour to lead it. Now the focus is on hard work, building the right culture and winning trophies."