Ferdinand Questions Alonso's Chelsea Move as Ruthless Squad Overhaul Looms

Xabi Alonso's appointment as Chelsea manager has raised eyebrows at Old Trafford, with Rio Ferdinand questioning whether the Spaniard made the right call by snapping up the Stamford Bridge job rather than biding his time.

The former Liverpool midfielder confirmed his move to Chelsea over the weekend, taking the title of manager—a designation that should grant him considerably more authority over recruitment than his predecessors enjoyed under BlueCo's ownership structure. After orchestrating Bayer Leverkusen's remarkable campaign and departing Real Madrid in January, Alonso was widely expected to be next in line at Anfield.

Ferdinand, however, reckons Alonso may have jumped the gun. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the Manchester United legend admitted his bewilderment at the decision, particularly given the circumstances at Liverpool.

"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," Ferdinand explained. "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."

The pundit suggested that had Alonso simply held firm, Liverpool's top job would likely have fallen into his lap given how events are currently unfolding at Merseyside. Instead, Ferdinand suspects Chelsea's financial muscle proved the decisive factor. "Chelsea have acted quickly, they've probably put something in front of him with some big numbers as well that has turned his head," he added.

Yet any financial sweetener won't spare Alonso from an unenviable task. According to Mick Brown, a former Premier League chief scout now with Football Insider, the Spaniard's immediate priority must be conducting a thorough examination of his squad—and ruthlessly excising the deadwood.

Brown believes between five and six Chelsea players will be identified as either insufficient or poisonous influences and subsequently moved on. "His first job as Chelsea manager is to assess what he's got in that squad, the good and the bad, and to quickly get rid of the bad influences," Brown told Football Insider.

The assessment comes with an acknowledgement that such operations are deceptively difficult to execute. Nevertheless, Brown insists Alonso cannot afford sentiment. "It doesn't matter who the players are or how good they might be, bad attitudes need to be moved on," he said. "He has to root out the negativity and be ruthless with it."

Given Chelsea's fractious relationship with several managers this season, Brown suggests there's no shortage of candidates for the exit door—making Alonso's housekeeping mission both urgent and necessary if stability is to be restored at Stamford Bridge.