Chelsea urged to make shock transfer moves for John Stones & Robert Lewandowski

Alonso is officially set to take over the hotseat at Stamford Bridge this July, having put pen to paper on a four-year deal with Chelsea. The former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfield maestro was identified as the club's primary target to replace Liam Rosenior, who was relieved of his duties last month following a disappointing tenure.

While the incoming manager inherits a squad brimming with expensive young talent, the Blues finished a lowly tenth in the Premier League. With concerns lingering over the club's financial flexibility, Cole believes the answer lies in the free agent market, specifically targeting serial winners who have recently departed European giants.

Cole has identified Stones and Lewandowski as the ideal veteran additions. Stones recently called time on a trophy-laden decade at Manchester City, where he collected six Premier League titles and a Champions League winners' medal. Lewandowski is also a free agent after a prolific stint at Barcelona, where he netted 120 goals in just four seasons.

Speaking to football.london, Cole explained the logic behind these shock moves: "We don’t know what the finances are. So it’s alright saying that we’re going to buy that player and buy that player. We may have to sell players, we don’t know. One thing we’re sure we don’t want is wholesale changes because these young players that you had belief in three years ago: they’re still the same players."

The former England international is adamant that the current Chelsea squad lacks the internal leadership required to compete at the highest level. By bringing in Stones and Lewandowski, Cole argues that Alonso would be installing "coaches on the pitch" who can mentor the club's younger stars through difficult moments in big matches.

"They just need what I’ve been saying for two or three years, where you have experience around them within the group that helps them through games to coach them, whilst on the pitch to give them their wisdom, you know, and build it out that way," Cole added. "And then you bring in your John Stones and Robert Lewandowski and players on a free transfer who don’t need to play every minute of every game, but they understand winning, they understand culture and they can still help out in the pitch and do bits."

Cole warned the Chelsea hierarchy that failing to address the lack of experience in the dressing room will result in the team hitting a "ceiling" regardless of how much individual talent they possess. He believes that true leadership must come from the players themselves rather than solely relying on the tactical instructions of the manager.

"The current players need that, they’ve got it within the group, it can’t be from coaches, all the time. All the great teams are coached from within their own dressing room and its knowledge and wisdom passed down over the years," Cole concluded. "It just baffles me how people just don’t understand that. But hopefully, they [the Chelsea owners] have read the room and that’s the way they go now. When you get to elite level, you need experience, you need wisdom and you need quality."