{"id":906690,"date":"2026-05-18T10:12:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T15:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/xabi-alonso-victor-boniface-tells-chelsea-what-to-expect-from-ex-real-madrid-boss\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T10:12:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T15:12:09","slug":"xabi-alonso-victor-boniface-tells-chelsea-what-to-expect-from-ex-real-madrid-boss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/xabi-alonso-victor-boniface-tells-chelsea-what-to-expect-from-ex-real-madrid-boss\/","title":{"rendered":"Xabi Alonso: Victor Boniface tells Chelsea what to expect from ex-Real Madrid boss"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><img width=\"750\" height=\"500\" alt=\"Soccer Xabi Alonso: Victor Boniface tells Chelsea what to expect from ex-Real Madrid boss\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/9Ggb_jwTCQ47zkZn8BfAqF0y8eI=\/750x500\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2026%2F05%2FNS-Image-Zoom-Email-Soccernet-12.png\" srcset data-sizes=\"auto\" data-expand=\"700\"><\/p>\n<p>Xabi Alonso with pip of Victor Boniface. (photos by Imago)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface has given Chelsea fans a glimpse of what to expect following the club&#8217;s appointment of Xabi Alonso as their new head coach, <a href=\"https:\/\/Soccernet.ng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Soccernet.ng<\/a> reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u200bChelsea had been searching for a permanent manager since parting ways with Liam Rosenior in April. While Calum McFarlane took temporary charge of the club, recent results failed to meet expectations. <\/p>\n<p>This triggered an air of uncertainty at Stamford Bridge, with fans growing increasingly restless over disappointing campaigns, frequent managerial turnarounds, and a perceived lack of direction.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"727\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/xwuHQnQ0eneGF5HTT8bJWDQmkRI=\/1024x727\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2025%2F11%2Fimago1049118303.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Cole Palmer celebrates with Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez\"  ><figcaption>Cole Palmer celebrates with Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez. Copyright: ImagoxNickxPotts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u200bHowever, on Saturday evening,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.chelseafc.com\/en\/news\/article\/xabi-alonso-appointed-chelsea-manager\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Chelsea officially confirmed Alonso as their new manager<\/a>. The announcement follows weeks of intense speculation linking the Blues with several high-profile coaches, including Mauricio Pochettino and Jos\u00e9 Mourinho.<\/p>\n<p>\u200bThe Spaniard&#8217;s appointment is expected to calm the fans&#8217; anxieties, given his impressive track record. Notably, Alonso previously guided Bayer Leverkusen to a historic Bundesliga title and enjoyed a managerial stint with 15-time Champions League winners Real Madrid.<\/p>\n<h2>Soccer \u200bVictor Boniface Endorses Alonso For Chelsea<\/h2>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/4A0Fm8DFbcfcGG1fskV3kUH9p8s=\/2560x1707\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2025%2F02%2Fimago1058541139-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Victor Boniface Bayer Leverkusen\"  ><figcaption>Victor Boniface Bayer Leverkusen (photo credit: imago)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u200bVictor Boniface, who played under Alonso for two seasons at Leverkusen\u2014a period during which the striker enjoyed the finest form of his career\u2014was quick to endorse his former boss. Just three seasons ago, Boniface was famously locked in a thrilling Bundesliga Golden Boot race alongside Harry Kane.<\/p>\n<p>\u200bFollowing Chelsea&#8217;s announcement of the former Liverpool midfielder, Boniface took to social media to hype up the tactician. <\/p>\n<p>Reacting to a post about the appointment, the Nigerian striker confidently wrote in Pidgin: <em>\u201cYou go enjoy better football, no worry. He too sabi\u201d<\/em> (meaning: \u201cYou will enjoy great football, don&#8217;t worry. He knows his stuff\u201d).<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1080\" height=\"521\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/lUI6dCaz9VM-lSwXbZSziHpsnBQ=\/1080x521\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2026%2F05%2FScreenshot_20260517-111145_Instagram.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Victor Boniface's comments on Xabi Alonso \"><figcaption>Victor Boniface&#8217;s comments on Xabi Alonso. (Credit: IG)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u200bAlonso is set to officially take charge at Stamford Bridge this July. For Chelsea fans desperate for stability, this glowing endorsement from one of Europe&#8217;s top strikers offers a massive vote of confidence and a reason to hope that his arriva<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><img alt=\"<!-- Author Start -->Kelvin Omachonu<!-- Author End -->&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/CrQss8SLQeA2L0Hdp5nftoJIwrU=\/150&#215;150\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2024%2F06%2FIMG-20240522-WA0001.jpg&#8221;  height=&#8221;80&#8243; width=&#8221;80&#8243;>\t\t<\/p>\n<div>\n<h3>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/author\/kelvin\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tKelvin Omachonu\t\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tKelvin Omachonu is a professional football columnist and sports writer with over half a decade of experience covering major events and delivering captivating, analytically-driven stories.<br \/>\nA graduate of the University of Ibadan, he is fueled by a profound dedication to sports journalism and the beautiful game. His insights have previously been featured in respected outlets, including IndyPress UI, UCJ UI Newshive NG, Sportpremi, and a few others.<br \/>\nAway from work, Kelvin is an avid fan of basketball, enjoys a great movie, and is always discovering new music.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2026\/05\/xabi-alonso-victor-boniface-chelsea.html\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a>Kelvin Omachonu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer Xabi Alonso with pip of Victor Boniface. (photos by Imago) Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface has given Chelsea fans a glimpse of what to expect following the club&#8217;s appointment of Xabi Alonso as their new head coach, Soccernet.ng reports. \u200bChelsea had been searching for a permanent manager since parting ways with Liam Rosenior in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":906691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34587,2005,29917],"tags":[11165,7669],"class_list":{"0":"post-906690","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-alonso","8":"category-soccer","9":"category-victor","10":"tag-alonso","11":"tag-victor"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/906690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=906690"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/906690\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/906691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=906690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=906690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=906690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}