Xabi Alonso sees "great potential" at Chelsea, after he was appointed as their next manager.

The Blues have had an underwhelming campaign, with Enzo Maresca departing in January and his replacement, Liam Rosenior, dismissed in April.

Calum McFarlane is in interim charge, but he has yet to win a Premier League game, while Chelsea lost to Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

Following that defeat at Wembley, reports emerged that Alonso, who was sacked by Real Madrid earlier this season, had agreed to take charge.

The Blues have now confirmed Alonso as their manager, with the Spaniard starting in July. He has penned a four-year agreement.

"Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in world football and it fills me with immense pride to become manager of this great club," said Alonso.

"From my conversations with the ownership group and sporting leadership, it is clear we share the same ambition. We want to build a team capable of competing consistently at the highest level and fighting for trophies.

"There is great talent in the squad and huge potential at this football club and it will be my great honour to lead it. Now the focus is on hard work, building the right culture and winning trophies."

Alonso is no stranger to the Premier League, having spent a significant chunk of his playing career at Liverpool.

The 44-year-old enjoyed success at Bayer Leverkusen, leading them to the Bundesliga title and a DFB-Pokal triumph in 2023-24, with his team going unbeaten all season across all competitions until a defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League final.

He was seen as Madrid's long-term coach, but despite winning 24 of his 34 matches in charge (70.6%), Alonso only lasted until January.

With their FA Cup defeat, there is now a real danger Chelsea fail to qualify for European football for next season.

They are two points behind eighth-place Brentford with two games to play, at home against Tottenham and away at Sunderland, respectively.