Xabi Alonso as Chelsea's new manager for the next four years

Premier League  rivals Chelsea  announced on Sunday that Xabi Alonso will take over as head coach of the team from July 1 for a four-year term.

  "Chelsea is one of  the biggest clubs in the world of football and I am very proud to be the coach of this great club," Alonso said in a statement.

 The former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen coach became the fifth coach to be appointed permanently under Chelsea's owners "Blocco", after Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosner.

The announcement marks Alonso's return to English football, having made 210 appearances for Liverpool as a player before moving to Real Madrid in 2009 and ending his career with Bayern Munich in 2017.

"Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in the world of football and I am very proud to be the coach of this great club," Alonso said in a statement.

"From my conversations with the ownership group and the sporting leadership, it is clear that we share the same ambition. We want to build a team that can compete consistently at the highest level and fight to  win titles."

"There's a lot of talent in the team and a lot of potential at this club, and it's going to be a great honour to lead it. Now the focus is on working hard, building the right culture and winning trophies."

Chelsea have had a tough season, dropping to ninth place in the Premier League and facing a fierce battle to qualify for European competitions after losing the FA Cup final to Manchester City on Saturday.

Arbeloa's first comment on Mourinho's expected return to Real Madrid

Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa has commented on reports that Jose Mourinho will be the next manager of the Spanish team and will lead them to fix the situation, saying: "He is the best."

Arbeloa added in a pre-match press conference ahead of the team's match against Sevilla in La Liga on Sunday: "The club will make its decision on the coach for next season when it sees fit. For me, as a player and a Real Madrid fan, Mourinho is the best."

He continued in statements quoted by The Touchline: "I thought that a month ago, and I still do. He is one of us, and always will be. If he comes back here next season, I'll be very happy to have him home."

Mbappe: Arbeloa made me the fourth striker

Alvaro Arbeloa spoke about his contact with his French striker Kylian Mbappe since the last controversy, saying: "I saw him on my way here, I asked him to calm down, I told him I would take care of it. I understand that things like this can make headlines."

"We discussed everything he said, so I accept it calmly, I understand how the players feel when they are not involved in games. Kylian was not happy in the previous game. For me, it's much simpler than it was filmed."

"It would have been better if he had played a little bit in the second half, if it wasn't for tomorrow's game things would have been different, but that's all. I see what has happened in the last few days as completely normal. My relationship with Mbappe has not changed."

Mbappe made angry remarks after coming on as a substitute for about 20 minutes against Real Oviedo last Thursday in La Liga, where he told reporters that he did not suffer from physical problems, but became the coach's fourth striker, after Argentina's Franco Mastantono, Brazil's Vinicius Jr. and Spain's Gonzalo Garcia.

Mbappe added: "I was ready to play as a starter, but the decision is up to him, the coach, and he must always be respected."