Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso opened up to his old Liverpool teammate, Jamie Carragher, about why he opted to join the Blues last spring despite interest from other clubs

Xabi Alonso was long considered a managerial target for Liverpool, but the Spanish boss went early this spring and agreed to join Chelsea in mid-May. Arne Slot left the Reds two weeks later.

Liverpool wasn't the only club in for Alonso this summer, as he was coming off a season with Real Madrid where he didn't even make it to Christmas.

In an exclusive sit-down interview with Sky Sports, Jamie Carragher asked Alonso, his teammate on the Reds from 2004 to 2009, what made him agree to the Chelsea job despite having no previous links to the club. The Reds were reportedly blindsided by his decision.

The Spaniard's reasoning was simple: timing.

"It was about timing. I think for me that it was the right timing," Alonso said. "After Leverkusen, after Madrid, I had my time off. And I wanted to choose, to have a good connection and a good feeling about where to go. I knew Chelsea, I had no link, but what I heard… the potential was here."

Before joining Real Madrid in 2025, Alonso spent two and a half years with Bayer Leverkusen in Germany. He won the Bundesliga with an unbeaten record in his first full campaign and, despite interest from abroad, opted to stay for another season.

He joined Madrid, his old side, in 2025. Alonso's 70.59% win percentage with the Spanish side was one of the best in club history, but he was sacked in November.

The Spaniard had plenty of time to make a new club choice, and Slot seemed poised to remain with Liverpool for another season before Mohamed Salah's Instagram post in May saying the club had lost its style.

Alonso shared his opinions from Chelsea before he joined the London club. "I had a feeling that a very strong base of the squad was very good; with some updates or some improvements in signings of different profiles, we could have a solid team," he told Carragher.

"I know it’s going to be a project. It’s not that in year one it’s already done. It’s going to take some more years, but the first year is important, and here we are; it’s just started."

Carragher also asked Alonso if he has concerns about how quickly Chelsea turns over managers. Just last season, Enzo Maresca was replaced by Liam Rosenior, who was fired himself late in the year.

"No, I had no cause for concern, because I know what I need to succeed," he said.