Chelsea have made the biggest change to their structure since BlueCo took charge four years ago.
The Blues' decision to sack Liam Rosenior after just 104 days forced them to reconsider their strategy and long term vision. It led to them announcing Xabi Alonso will take over from next season.
And while Alonso will officially arrive as Chelsea’s new head coach later this summer, new claims from journalist Matt Law have revealed the extent of the Spaniard's role which suggest BlueCo will treat him very differently compared to previous managers.
Xabi Alonso to become one of Chelsea's sporting directors
Chelsea have a unique leadership strucutre within their sporting department.
The Blues currently employ five sporting directors — Laurence Stewart, Paul Winstanley, Joe Shields, Sam Jewell and Dave Fallows — but according to Law, that's set to become six once Alonso gets to work.
"I’d never had it explained to me before in terms of any of the other head coaches in the BlueCo era.
Xabi Alonso is basically now part of this football leadership team. You know, we call them the five sporting directors."
One of the biggest criticisms of Chelsea’s structure over the last few years has been the apparent disconnect between recruitment decisions and the man expected to manage the squad after those decision had been made.
Several signings have looked more like long-term investments than players best suited to current ideas. Alonso understandably wanted a different arrangement before agreeing to take the job.
Recent reports have already suggested the Spaniard pushed Chelsea towards targeting more proven and “ready-made” players this summer rather than focusing almost exclusively on younger talent with resale value.
And this latest revelation from Law not only confirms that Alonso has got his wish, but also that his influence will extend much further than simply coaching the first team.
Future power struggle possible
While this structure is exciting, and arguably long overdue, it does have the potential to cause a power struggle further down the line.
Because while giving Alonso more influence seems the sensible approach, Chelsea’s sporting director model has been one of the defining parts of BlueCo’s ownership since they took over from Roman Abramovich in 2022.
If Alonso were to push too strongly for a player, or players, with a profile he wants but they don't fully align with the clubs' other decision makers, fans can expect an internal tug-of-war to break out.
Managers with significant influence generally want immediate solutions. Desk-sitting sporting directors often think much longer-term. Chelsea's challenge now is to find a healthy balance between the two.
Perhaps easier said than done.
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