Xabi Alonso, the former Liverpool captain and current Chelsea manager, said he left Real Madrid at a stage where he still believed he could complete his project. In his interview with former teammate and Sky Sports UK commentator Jamie Carragher, the 44-year-old coach expressed the feeling of having finished his job "a little earlier than expected", without knowing whether the outcome would be positive or negative.
Alonso recalled being sacked mid-season, when the Spanish club was still competing for LaLiga and the Champions League. According to him, president Florentino Pérez had decided to end the relationship with the coach to give the place to Álvaro Arbeloa, and this choice ended his experience with the Spanish giants. Although the end was quick, the former captain holds no grudges: "I don't look back in anger," he said, underlining that the experience of coaching Real Madrid was still special and formative.
Alonso then explained how, after leaving the capital, he reflected on his future and decided to accept Chelsea's offer. “I had no connection with Chelsea, but with the potential that was here, some things could change and I thought we could start this journey together,” he explained. He added that, after his time at Bayer Leverkusen, he needed a new stimulus and a team with a solid base to build on.
Chelsea welcomed the coach with enthusiasm, convinced that his experience is an added value for the Premier League. Alonso expressed confidence in the potential of the team and in the possibility of introducing new elements to strengthen the project. "It was the right time. For me it was the right time after Bayer Leverkusen. After Madrid, I had some free time and I wanted to have that good feeling, that good feeling about where to go," he said.
With his new adventure in England, Xabi Alonso is preparing to lead Chelsea towards new goals. The club has already started planning the next transfer operations, while Alonso focuses on consolidating the group and defining a winning strategy for the current season. His experience at Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen makes him an ideal candidate to take the English team to new levels of competitiveness.