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  "path": "/2026/05/18/rio-ferdinand-reveals-surprised-xabi-alonso-become-chelsea-manager-28415651/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-18T08:59:05.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "Football",
    "Sport",
    "Arne Slot",
    "Chelsea FC",
    "Liverpool FC",
    "Premier League",
    "Rio Ferdinand",
    "Xabi Alonso",
    "it was confirmed that Alonso had put pen to paper on a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge",
    "Liam Rosenior",
    "relived of his duties only 107 days into his reign in west London",
    "sign up here",
    "Real Madrid",
    "Rio Ferdinand Presents",
    "Liverpool",
    "supports HTML5\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvideo",
    "Chelsea",
    "Sky Sports",
    "reports",
    "Gary Neville",
    "telling comment from Mohamed Salah",
    "check our sport page",
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  "textContent": "Rio Ferdinand is ‘surprised’ Xabi Alonso didn’t wait for a potential opening at Liverpool (Picture: Rio Ferdinand Presents)\n\nRio Ferdinand says he is ‘looking forward’ to seeing what Xabi Alonso can bring to Chelsea – but surprised’ the manager wasn’t ‘patient enough’ to hang on for a possible opportunity at Liverpool.\n\nChelsea brought weeks of speculation to an end on Sunday as it was confirmed that Alonso had put pen to paper on a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge.\n\nThe 44-year-old Spaniard will fill the void left by Liam Rosenior, who was relived of his duties only 107 days into his reign in west London last month.\n\nCalum McFarlane has been leading the Blues on an interim basis in the intervening weeks and Alonso will officially begin in his new role on July 1 in preparation for the 2026/27 campaign.\n\n##  Get ready for the World Cup\n\nGet previews of every single team at the World Cup sent directly to your inbox, featuring the players to look out for, games you shouldn’t miss and Metro’s big England predictions. Don't miss out, sign up here.\n\nThe former Liverpool midfielder has been out of a job since his dismissal at Real Madrid back in mid-January, with Bernabeu bosses deciding to pull the trigger after the side’s Spanish Super Cup defeat to Barcelona.\n\nBut despite his disappointing seven-month spell in charge of Los Blancos, Alonso is regarded as one of the finest young coaches in the game on the back of his extraordinary success with Bayer Leverkusen.\n\nDiscussing the appointment on his Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel, the ex-Manchester United and England defender admitted he was a little taken aback that Alonso hadn’t ‘sat tight’ for a potential opening at Anfield.\n\nAlonso has signed a four-year deal at Stamford Bridge (Picture: Getty)\n\nMcFarlane was in the dugout for Chelsea’s FA Cup final defeat to Man City (Picture: Getty)\n\nAlonso has been heavily linked with a return to Merseyside going back to his time in charge of Leverkusen and mounting pressure over Arne Slot’s future had only intensified this talk.\n\n‘I’m actually surprised he’s gone there. I’m not saying he’s the wrong choice,’ Ferdinand said.\n\n‘The reason I’m surprised he’s gone there is because I thought he would have been patient enough to wait and see how the Arne Slot situation at Liverpool would play out.\n\n‘Ex-Liverpool player, loved the club, always speaks well about the club, and you just think that was a relationship waiting to happen behind the scenes.\n\nTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvideo\n\nUp Next\n\nPrevious Page\n\nNext Page\n\n‘If he’d just sat tight, the way things are going at the moment, the way things are unfolding at Liverpool, surely he’s next in the queue to get that job.\n\n‘But Chelsea have acted quickly, they’ve probably put something in front of him with some big numbers as well that has turned his head and he’s just thought, “I’m going to go for it!”.\n\n‘Or he’s just thought, “Do you know what? I can’t just sit here, hope and wait, and be guessing about what’s going to happen at Liverpool if an opportunity like this is here”… it’s a big club, Chelsea.’\n\nAlonso steered Leverkusen to the club’s first-ever Bundesliga title in 2024 (Picture: Getty)\n\nAccording to Ferdinand, one of Alonso’s primary objectives will be to simply ‘bring the group together’ at Chelsea after what has been a bitterly disappointing campaign in the Premier League.\n\n‘I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s doing,’ the six-time Premier League winner added.\n\n‘I like seeing young managers getting in these roles and getting opportunities because I think it’s nice to see that and he knows the Premier League.\n\nThe Spaniard had been heavily linked with a return to Liverpool (Picture: Getty)\n\n‘What he did at Bayer Leverkusen, it can’t be sniffed at. He’s competing against the Bayern Munichs of this world, winning the league and doing ridiculously well so he knows how to put a team together.\n\n‘What Chelsea is somebody who can bring a group of players together and really harness the talent that they have within that club.\n\n‘He’s done that at one club and the time will tell now if he can do that at Chelsea.’\n\nLiverpool are expected to keep faith with Slot (Picture: Getty)\n\nReacting to the news on Sky Sports, Ferdinand’s former team-mate Gary Neville suggested the appointment indicated Slot’s position in charge of Liverpool was safe.\n\nIt would chime with widespread reports last month claiming the Reds had decided to stick with the Dutchman, as long as they secured Champions League qualification – which would happen if Bournemouth lose to Manchester City on Tuesday night.\n\n‘It did tell me that Liverpool are going to keep their manager for next season which I’m happy about,’ Neville said.\n\n‘I genuinely think a manager that has won the league 12 months ago deserves an opportunity to get it right having had a more challenging season this time around. They’re still in the Champions League.\n\n‘It’s for Liverpool to sort out their own problems, I don’t think they need Gary Neville telling them what to do, but it was a telling comment from Mohamed Salah and something that won’t be helpful.’\n\nPOLL\n\nPoll\n\n### Should Arne Slot keep his job at Liverpool?\n\n  * YesCheck\n\n  * NoCheck\n\n\n\n\n**For more stories like this, check our sport page**.\n\n**Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on**Facebook,** Twitter and Instagram**.\n\nComment now Comments \nAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source\n",
  "title": "Rio Ferdinand reveals why he’s ‘surprised’ Xabi Alonso has become Chelsea manager"
}