Xabi Alonso resumes as Chelsea coach

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By Emmanuel Okogba

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Xabi Alonso has resumed duty as the new coach of Chelsea Football Club following his appointment in May.

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The 44-year-old Spaniard joins the London club with the experience of managing clubs like Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid.

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The appointment fills the vacuum created by the sacking of Liam Rosenior.

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Chelsea will hope to bank on the experience of Alonso to bounce back from a mediocre campaign last season that saw them miss out of Europe — finishing 10th in the Premier League.

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The club shared a video of Alonso arriving at the club on Thursday with the message ‘Xabi Alonso arrives at Cobham’, ‘This is where it starts’, and ‘A new chapter awaits’.

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Alonso is no stranger to Stamford Bridge being that he played there during his time as a player with Liverpool.

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He notably scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 Premier League victory, which ended Chelsea’s remarkable 86-match unbeaten home league record. He also scored a penalty in the dramatic 4-4 draw during the second leg of the 2008/2009 UEFA Champions League quarter-final.

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If all goes according to plan, Alonso is expected to remain as Chelsea’s coach until the summer of 2030.

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