London [UK], May 17 (ANI): Chelsea announced the appointment of former Liverpool and Real Madrid star Xabi Alonso as their new manager, set to start his role from July onwards on a four-year deal.

A statement from the club said, 'Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Xabi Alonso as Manager of the men's team. The Spaniard will begin his role on July 1, 2026, having agreed a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge.'

Chelsea have not had the best season so far; they are currently in ninth place in the Premier League, with 13 wins, 10 draws and 10 losses, giving them 49 points and keeping them 30 points away from table-toppers Arsenal. The Blues had sacked Liam Rosenior in April after three months in charge following a string of poor performances and had been looking for a new head coach. The interim boss before Alonso's appointment was Calum McFarlane.

Xabi has won two UEFA Champions Leagues as a player, one each with Liverpool and Real Madrid, and also captured the FA Cup, La Liga, Copa del Rey and Bundesliga (with Bayern Munich) as a player. In his first stint as a coach, he led Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten Bundesliga title win back in 2023/24.

On his appointment, Xabi 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,' he concluded. (ANI)