Milan, 17 May (LaPresse) – Chelsea have appointed Xabi Alonso as their new manager on a four-year contract. The former Real Madrid coach will take up the post on 1 July. Alonso succeeds Liam Rosenior, who was sacked last month, and will become the fifth full-time manager appointed by Chelsea’s American owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, since they bought the club in 2022. Chelsea described Alonso as “one of the most respected figures in modern football”. “From my discussions with the owners and the sporting management, it is clear that we share the same ambition,” Alonso said in a Chelsea statement. “We want to build a team capable of consistently competing at the highest level and challenging for trophies,” he added. Alonso spent eight months at Real Madrid before leaving the club by mutual consent in January, following disappointing results and numerous media reports suggesting he had lost control of the dressing room. Prior to that, he managed Bayer Leverkusen, leading them to the German title and an unbeaten league season. It is against this backdrop that Alonso moves to Chelsea, which he described as “one of the most important clubs in world football”. “There is great talent in the squad and enormous potential at this club, and it will be a great honour for me to lead it,” he said. “Now the focus is on hard work, creating the right culture and winning trophies,” he concluded.