I coached Chelsea with Rafa Benitez - Xabi Alonso has made the same mistake as ex-Liverpool boss

Xabi Alonso was mooted by many as the ideal replacement for Arne Slot at Liverpool before Chelsea swiftly swooped in and secured his signature.

Bolo Zenden has warned Xabi Alonso that his spell at Liverpool could come back to haunt him. The 44-year-old, who featured 210 times over five years with the Reds, has been appointed as the new Chelsea manager and will begin his role at Stamford Bridge on July 1.

Upon signing a four-year contract with the west London outfit, Alonso expressed his 'immense pride' to take the reins of 'one of the biggest clubs in world football'. The Spaniard, who stepped down as Real Madrid boss at the start of the year, added that he wants to 'build the right culture and win trophies'.

Alonso was linked with a move to Anfield on numerous occasions earlier this season, with Arne Slot unable to have mounted a defence of the Premier League title. Although the Dutchman recently claimed he has 'every reason to believe' he will still be at Liverpool next season, he seems to face an uncertain future.

The new Blues gaffer was mooted by many as the ideal replacement, but that ship has since sailed. In an interview with BOYLE Sports, who provide the latest World Cup odds, Zenden suggested that Alonso has made a mistake in joining Chelsea.

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The former assistant to Rafa Benitez at Chelsea said: "I’d be cautious about Xabi Alonso to Chelsea, I’m not sure it’s a good idea and I think you have to take a few things in mind.

"First of all, he has a history with Liverpool and he’s not been a manager in England yet. Now, I remember when I was assistant coach to Rafa Benitez when he joined Chelsea. I was there and I saw what happened to Benitez with the Chelsea fans."

Zenden worked with Benitez at Stamford Bridge from November 2012 to June 2013. Together, they took charge of the Blues for 48 games, winning the Europa League and finishing third in the Premier League.

Despite having won a piece of silverware and leading Chelsea back into the top four, Benitez was an unpopular figure on and off the pitch, with players – namely John Terry – and supporters, alike, unhappy with his style of management and comments.

Zenden continued: "They never really took him on because of his history at Liverpool. He was a manager there and not a player so it might be slightly different, but I’d be cautious."

Reflecting on Alonso's time at the Santiago Bernabeu, the former Chelsea coach said: "The other thing is when he was at Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso, there obviously was some criticism that he couldn't really cope with the star attitudes from certain players.

"And I think he was used to managing in Germany where the players are more likely to follow the manager, whereas when he was at Madrid, some just played their own game.

"How will that be at Chelsea if there are some bigger names on the bench and not playing in Europe? I think as a manager you have to be really thoughtful of your choices.

"Because let's say if you go to Madrid and you get the sack after six or eight months, then maybe you move to Chelsea, it's not going well, you get the sack again, those are not just scratches they are scars and it might harm your managerial career."

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