Former Chelsea defender, Marcel Desailly, has backed former Spain midfielder and coach Xabi Alonso, insisting he must be given full autonomy to implement his football ideas at Chelsea FC if he is to succeed at Stamford Bridge.
Desailly argued that Alonso’s tactical discipline and structured approach will only work if the club hierarchy allows him complete control over recruitment and squad planning, warning that any interference could undermine his project.
“The problem he is facing is coming into a club that is completely full of players. When you look at Chelsea today, they must have something like 75 players around the world who still have a contract with the club,” Desailly told Standard Sport.
“How do you allow a coach to define and organise his philosophy around the specific players he wants to put into the system?
“He really has to sit down with himself and erase the players who do not match his philosophy. But it is super difficult with Chelsea because they have so many players already. How do you get rid of them to build your system?”
Chelsea FC endured a disappointing campaign, finishing 10th in the Premier League and missing out on European competition for only the second time since the 2016–17 season.
Their inconsistency was widely linked to a lack of experienced leaders, with the squad also being the youngest in the division.
Although Alonso has yet to officially begin his role until July 1, he is already expected to be active behind the scenes, shaping transfer targets and planning squad adjustments ahead of a busy summer window and the approaching World Cup cycle.
As part of their pre-season preparations, Chelsea will travel to Australia for friendly matches against Western Sydney Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur, where Alonso will get an early opportunity to assess his squad in competitive conditions.
