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The Spaniard Xabi Alonso has explained that his decision to join Chelsea instead of returning to Liverpool was mainly influenced by the timing of opportunities available to him.

Alonso, who was officially named as Liam Rosenior’s replacement in May, was presented at Stamford Bridge on Monday afternoon after overseeing his first training sessions with the team at Cobham the previous week.

Before opting for the west London side, Alonso had been strongly linked with a managerial role at Liverpool. Speculation had mounted due to Arne Slot’s difficulties in reviving the Reds’ form and Alonso’s deep connection to the club, where he spent five successful years as a player and won the UEFA Champions League.

Although Alonso had been out of contract since January, reports suggest he never entered formal discussions with Liverpool. By the time Chelsea had confirmed his appointment, Slot remained in charge at Anfield. Slot was later replaced by former Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola.

Speaking to BBC Sport about his move, Alonso said, “It is about timings. I am here today on my first day at Stamford Bridge, talking to you. I am looking forward to this challenge, a big challenge, and Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs and I am looking forward to having success here.”

Alonso and his squad are preparing for an extensive pre-season tour across Asia and Oceania. The upcoming campaign will be unusual for Chelsea, as the club narrowly missed qualifying for the UEFA Conference League by just one point, leaving them without European competition for the season.

During his unveiling, Alonso made it clear that his primary objective is to guide Chelsea back into European tournaments. He said, “Well, for sure that's a goal, but to reach that goal you need to do many right things and to be part of that process, how we want to play, how we want to see ourselves and how we want to approach the game, wherever we go, that's my job.”

He continued, “That's what I'm really looking forward to. We have not the whole squad at the moment, we have some bits, but early days and happy early days so far.

For sure we want to be there and time will tell, but we are ambitious to be in Chelsea, we need to share that energy, that ambition and as well that hunger to want to have success.”