Xabi Alonso drops huge hint at appointment as Chelsea’s new manager with social media post

Alonso appeared to let the cat out of the bag on Sunday morning when he posted a significant update on his official X account. The former Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid coach shared a post that read: "Xabi Alonso, on the verge of becoming Chelsea's coach," linking to a report from Spanish outlet Marca that detailed his move to London.

The post - which has since been deleted - comes amidst heavy speculation that a deal has already been struck between the Blues and the 44-year-old tactician. Following the dismissal of Liam Rosenior in April, Chelsea have been scouring the market for a high-profile replacement, and Alonso’s social media activity all but confirms that the search is finally over.

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Reports emerged on Saturday evening indicating that Chelsea have secured their top managerial target, reaching a full agreement on a four-year contract. The Spaniard was spotted in London last week for face-to-face talks with the Blues' hierarchy, where he reportedly accepted the challenge of turning around the club's fortunes after a difficult campaign.

Alonso has been out of work since a seven-month stint at Real Madrid ended in January. During his time at the Bernabeu, he won 24 of his 34 matches in charge, though president Florentino Perez eventually opted for a change. Despite that premature exit, his reputation remains sky-high across Europe following his historic achievements in Germany.

Before his time in the Spanish capital, Alonso orchestrated one of the most remarkable seasons in modern football history with Leverkusen. He led the German side to an unbeaten Bundesliga title in 2023-24, while also clinching the DFB-Pokal and reaching the Europa League final. It is this pedigree that has convinced Chelsea's owners he is the right man for the job. At Real Madrid, his statistics were equally impressive despite the sudden departure. Those 24 victories helped keep Los Blancos in the hunt for the La Liga title and progressed them through the Champions League knockout stages. Chelsea bosses are banking on that winning mentality to end a domestic trophy drought that has now stretched to eight seasons.

The news of Alonso's likely arrival follows a disappointing end to the season for interim boss Calum McFarlane. Chelsea fell to a 1-0 defeat against Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday, with Antoine Semenyo scoring the winner. After the game, McFarlane voiced his frustration with the officiating, stating: "I thought it was an even game, I thought both teams had moments of control, both teams had momentum at different times. Two really good sides, got a lot of respect for Manchester City and what they've done over their period of success, so congratulations to them first."

Reflecting on penalty shouts, McFarlane added: "Disappointing result but a very evenly matched game. In terms of the penalty incidents, I thought they're tough calls but for me the Jorrel Hato and [Abdukodir] Khusanov collision in the box is a penalty, Jorrel gets in front and it's a collision in the back, if that's anywhere else on the pitch it's a foul. Very similar to last week at Liverpool with Joao Pedro and [Jeremie] Frimpong, I said the same, thought that was a penalty as well, so sometimes you get them, sometimes you don't."