Xabi Alonso has just been appointed as the new Chelsea manager. He was a well sought out manager. He was appointed as Real Madrid manager last summer with high expectations. However, he was given the boot early on and left on a whimper.
He was heavily touted to become the next Liverpool manager, especially considering the downward spiral that current manager, Arne Slot, is leading them to. Unfortunately, Liverpool missed their chance as Alonso has been hired elsewhere.
Only a few hundred dispirited Chelsea fans were still inside Wembley as Cole Palmer and co trudged up the steps to collect their losers' medals after their FA Cup final defeat by Manchester City.
The news of Xabi Alonso's arrival as the club's manager, which filtered out within the aftermath of Saturday's 1-0 loss, would have lifted their mood.
Win or lose at Wembley, Chelsea had already been close to making a decision on Liam Rosenior's replacement - and keen to avoid creating a distraction for players and staff involved in the showpiece occasion.
There was, therefore, nothing to delay the announcement once the match was over, allowing attention to turn to the future.
Although Alonso, who enjoyed a distinguished playing career and led Leverkusen to league and cup success in Germany, is an exciting appointment for supporters; there is also an acceptance he faces a difficult task.
Chelsea are heading into a turbulent summer as the FA Cup final loss denied them another route into European competition.
Champions League qualification is already out of reach, while a place in the Europa League looks unlikely with the club currently tenth in the Premier League with two games left and probably needing at least a seventh-placed finish.
Conference League football would do little to improve finances or excite fans used to facing Europe's elite.
There is a realistic chance Chelsea will miss out on UEFA competitions altogether. However, sources at the club strongly reject suggestions they would prefer to avoid qualifying for lesser competitions or be content without European football; despite their settlement with financial regulators following significant spending on transfers.
It leaves Alonso inheriting a team low on confidence, operating under financial constraints and facing wider personnel challenges.
Alonso will begin his role on 1 July and has signed a four‑year contract at Stamford Bridge.
Alonso said: "Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in world football and it fills me with immense pride to become manager of this great club.
"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."
Chelsea, currently tenth in the Premier League table, have been looking for a new head coach after sacking Liam Rosenior in April after only three months in charge.
The former Real Madrid boss was Chelsea's no. 1 target and the ex-Liverpool midfielder will hold the title of manager rather than head coach, in recognition of his experience and the key role he will play in helping develop all aspects of the club.
News of Alonso's imminent appointment emerged shortly after Chelsea's 1-0 FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City on Saturday, where interim boss Calum McFarlane was in the dugout.
Alonso's availability had fuelled speculation about a potential Anfield return amid Arne Slot's struggles, but the Dutchman says he expects to remain in charge.
Bournemouth boss, Andoni Iraola and Fulham head coach, Marco Silva, were the other coaches on Chelsea's shortlist; with Iraola understood to have especially impressed. Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner, Como's Cesc Fabregas and ex-Flamengo boss, Filipe Luis, were also considered.
Alonso had been out of work since being sacked by Real Madrid in January, seven months into the job.
He won the Champions League twice as a player, as well as leading Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten Bundesliga-winning season in 2023-24.
Alonso will become the fifth permanent appointment of the BlueCo ownership era, following Graham Potter; Mauricio Pochettino; Enzo Maresca and Rosenior.
Chelsea believe their latest appointment reflects that lessons have been learned from past mistakes, with Alonso challenged to build a culture as well as a team.
Club chiefs view him as one of the most respected young coaches in European football and believe he has the discipline and calm leadership style, as well as the ability to play in different formations.
Alonso will work with the club's existing sporting directors and ownership group on summer business. Chelsea are looking to add experience to their squad by signing several ready made first-team players - including a centre-back in the forthcoming transfer window.
The defeat to City in the FA Cup final means Chelsea could be without European football next season for the second time in the BlueCo era.
An eighth-place finish would secure Conference League qualification and, while it is unlikely, a sixth- or a seventh-placed finish could see them into the Europa League.
Chelsea chiefs want to compete consistently for the biggest trophies and believe Alonso fits their long-term strategy.
They also value his trophy pedigree and ability to work collaboratively within an established structure.
It's a very different group of players and structure to the one at Real Madrid, where Alonso's seven-month tenure ended in January after a falling out with several key players, including Kylian Mbappe.
There aren't the same Galactico names at Stamford Bridge, but key players like Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez criticised the club during Rosenior's tenure as he lost large parts of the dressing room, particularly among the Spanish speakers.
It's something Alonso will have to reflect upon but sources close to several players have expressed excitement about his appointment.
Perhaps significantly, the Spaniard has been appointed "manager" rather than "head coach" to reflect his seniority within a partnership involving key figures at the club; as they seek to rebuild after a turbulent campaign that led to the departures of Enzo Maresca and Rosenior.
That isn't to say Alonso will make every decision.
Chelsea have five sporting directors with defined responsibilities and player recruitment will be conducted in collaboration with him and those figures, "tweaking" the need to add experience with long-term planning.
There will also need to be alignment on significant outgoings, especially if Chelsea fail to make Europe.
Alonso is known to be excited by the squad but both parties know it still needs to be improved over the summer, with the Blues known to be targeting a centre-back, midfielder and forward at minimum.
They also value his trophy pedigree and ability to work collaboratively within an established structure.
There is also an acknowledgement within the club of past mistakes and it must work with Alonso - a former midfielder with Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich - to become the winning team they, and the fans, expect them to be.
Chelsea are also facing cultural issues that continue to undermine progress. These were brought into focus by a protest march involving about 200 fans on Wembley Way on Saturday.
There is a growing disconnect between supporters and the club, as well as fans and players. In some cases, there are also divisions within the squad and between players and the wider organisation.
One contributing factor, as influential co-owner Behdad Eghbali has acknowledged, "getting that stability on the manager side is one of the things we haven't done right yet."
The hope is someone of Alonso's status and authority can help address that, reinforcing the club's ambition and improving communication with both players and supporters.
On the pitch, he will be tasked with improving the team mentally, physically and tactically. Questions have been asked about the squad's mentality, with accusations of players "downing tools" this term, having the worst disciplinary record in the division, and a poor record in key matches.
That includes a 14-game winless run against Manchester City and seven consecutive defeats in domestic cup finals.
Physically, Chelsea have been outperformed by opponents, having covered less distance than any other team in the Premier League this season; aside from a single exception at Anfield in the 1-1 draw against Liverpool last weekend.
Defensively, problems under Maresca earlier in the campaign evolved into wider issues at both ends of the pitch under Rosenior, whose six-game losing run without scoring ultimately led to his exit.
It was a closely fought match against Pep Guardiola's side but interim boss Calum McFarlane was left bemoaning the fact "football can be cruel", believing his side deserved at least one penalty.
He added: "It's a really talented group - there's lots of quality. The fight and heart have been questioned at times, but in the last two performances I don't think you can question that."
There is quality but plenty of work still to be done. Chelsea have a furious fanbase and have gone from Maresca to Rosenior to McFarlane and now Alonso in five months.
Gary Neville believes the confirmation of Xabi Alonso going to Chelsea should bring an end to speculation about Arne Slot's future at Liverpool.
Alonso was fired by Real Madrid in January when things didn't work out there. Over the past few months, though, with Liverpool struggling, plenty of fans have made the case for him taking over at the Merseyside giant.
"The signing of Xabi Alonso (at Chelsea) this morning did tell me that Liverpool are going to keep their manager," Neville said on Sky Sports ahead of Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest.
"I'm happy about that because I genuinely think that a manager who has won the league 12 months ago deserves another opportunity.
"He is still in the Champions League and it is for Liverpool to worry about their own problems. I don't think they need Gary Neville telling them what to do, but it was a telling comment from Mo Salah."
Neville's final line was in reference to Salah's statement on social media that arrived on Saturday. The Egyptian appeared to take aim at the playing style that has been implemented by Arne Slot.
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Is Richard Hughes brave or stupid? He can’t be neither but he might be both.
The Liverpool sporting director was certainly bold last summer when he oversaw a huge recruitment spend; the Reds twice breaking their transfer record while seeking to strengthen from a position of authority as Premier League champions.
That they defended their title so feebly after spending over £400million has seen some take a rather dimmer view of Hughes.
Most Liverpool fans have reserved their ire for Arne Slot, the manager pinned as the biggest problem during a season that could yet see the Reds miss out on a place in the Champions League. Or claim a place with the lowest ever total.
There is plenty of blame to spread around Anfield. Like the fans, the players don’t seem impressed with their manager, especially Mo Salah, though Salah and his team-mates might want to look in the mirror before they point too many fingers at the manager.
It's undeniable that Slot has exacerbated Liverpool’s problems. Too often, the Reds’ issues have been structural more than individual, which makes the manager very vulnerable.
This is especially when, since January, his obvious replacement was right there. While Liverpool have been stinking out 2026, Xabi Alonso was free and willing to return to Anfield to take the reins from the rapidly sinking Slot.
It's not often in football that the stars align but, for Liverpool, it seemed they had. Alonso was sacked by Real Madrid in January, since when it has become increasingly apparent that the club, not the manager, was the problem.
Liverpool had their chance to hire a boss they initially wanted to replace Jurgen Klopp in 2024, at the same time lifting the gloom that has descended on Anfield during 2026.
Only Hughes and his Liverpool boardroom buddies know why they chose to look a gift horse square in the mouth, in the process allowing Chelsea to reclaim some credibility with an appointment few thought they had in them.
If Liverpool wanted Alonso, there is no way he would be now be plotting to bring them further down next season as Chelsea boss.
Maybe the Liverpool hierarchy still holds a grudge against Alonso for passing up the chance to follow Klopp in 2024; such pettiness should really be beyond them.
Hughes and FSG’s head of football, Michael Edwards, simply need to hope that Liverpool’s manager next season outperforms Alonso. Otherwise heads ought to roll.
Ignoring Alonso suggests the board’s faith in Slot is more resolute than the fans’. It's because very few managers – at any club; let alone one like Liverpool that prides itself on closing ranks around each other – succeed in winning back a fanbase as lost as Liverpool’s to the manager right now. Especially when the players’ thinking seems to align with the supporters’.
It could be that Hughes and co. have other ideas. Perhaps neither Alonso nor Slot will manage Liverpool next season. Andoni Iraola, the manager who Hughes hired for Bournemouth, is available and despite the guru-like mystique around sporting directors generally – exacerbated by the fact they operate in the shadows – it so often reverts back to ‘who’ more than ‘what’ they know.
Few will know Iraola better than Hughes but what the Liverpool chief, nor anyone else, can possibly say for certain is how the former Rayo Vallecano and Bournemouth boss can adapt to the ultra-harsh spotlight at the very highest level.
That lack of experience on the very highest stages, certainly compared to Alonso, would make Iraola a punt on Hughes’ part.
Still, it didn't seem to hamper Slot last season. Perhaps Alonso feared being the man to follow The Man but Slot seized his opportunity and made succession seem a doddle by winning the Premier League title.
This season suggests Liverpool were still running on Klopp’s fumes. Slot wisely saw no need to immediately stamp his mark on the Reds, instead opting to soothe Liverpool through the type of transition that many managers have previously bungled with a heavier hand.
Slot, naturally, saw that success as vindication to start doing things his way. Indeed, title success made everyone at Liverpool feel rather sure of themselves – manager, players, board. Which has brought them to this wretched point.
Inevitably, the manager is most vulnerable from Liverpool’s failings this season. How he handles the situation around a manger who has lost the faith of fans and players will be the measure of Hughes.
In ignoring Alonso, much to the bemusement of most, the sporting director at least has the courage of his convictions. We’ll see very soon how smart he really is.
The club's ownership is under scrutiny and Alonso has much to do - it will be a tough task trying to bring it all together.
Speaking to a Liverpool fan, he felt betrayed by Alonso managing Real Madrid. He believes that the club are taking a massive gamble on keeping Slot. He's also under the belief that they could've gotten Alonso much earlier if they wanted to.
I believe that Alonso should've waited for Liverpool. The club aren't doing well and I believe that they are riding on the coattails of Klopp's success and the subsequent title win. There's has to be a time when the board wakes up and smells the coffee. Slot is slowly destroying the club.