Joe Cole tells Xabi Alonso to sign Man City star for Chelsea

Joe Cole believes Chelsea should look to sign departing Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva to bring experience to Xabi Alonso’s dressing room.

Alonso is set to formally take charge of Chelsea in July after being appointed as the club’s new manager on a four-year contract.

And the former Real Madrid manager arrives at Stamford Bridge with plenty to fix after the Blues’ dismal finish to the Premier League season, which saw them finish in tenth place and fail to qualify for any European competition.

Cole has long demanded that his former club break free from their aggressive youth-first recruitment approach to provide the spine of the team with some much-needed experience.

And the former Blues winger namechecked Silva as one of several experienced free agents the club should look to lure to Stamford Bridge this summer.

‘You look at someone like Ibou Konate; it seems like he is going to Real Madrid, but that would have been perfect,’ Cole told Metro.

‘Robert Lewandowski is another one still available. Bernardo Silva’s still out there and is the one for me. You see the influence Jordan Henderson had on Brentford, and I don’t see why Bernardo couldn’t be similar.

‘It’s a perfect out for the owners as well. Go and get a couple of free transfers in, I’d take two or three transfers in, give them a year or two-year contract and let them three senior players help drive the group forward.’

But regardless of who they look to recruit, Cole is keen to see Alonso given a more hands-on role in the club’s running to allow the Spaniard to hit the ground running next season.

‘I think it’s a great appointment. I didn’t think Xabi would take it because I thought he would have a better opportunity,’ Cole said.

‘So that tells me that he’s clearly had a discussion with the club, and negotiations, and he has to be in control. I like the fact they’ve changed his name to manager, but I want to see that in real time: what does that actually mean? Because it needs a manager of the club; it needs a strong manager.

‘Look back at what Jurgen Klopp did at Liverpool, look at what Michel Arteta’s done with Arsenal, look at what Pep Guardiola did at Manchester City.

‘Yes, there were support teams around them, but they were in charge, and if Chelsea and the owners can do that, then they’ve got a chance of success.’

One of Alonso’s first orders of business could be making a bold call on the futures of Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella, who have both left for the World Cup with doubts lingering over their long-term futures at the club.

And Cole believes the new Chelsea boss should not be afraid to let those big characters leave if they aren’t committed to his project.

‘One of the biggest things Mikel Arteta did early on was get rid of Lacazette and Aubameyang, and this could be a similar situation,’ Cole noted.

‘But like I said, that can’t be influenced by directors of football. Xabi Alonso will be working day-to-day, he’ll know the relationship, he’ll see the body language, he’ll see the little looks, he’ll know whether the players are with him or not, and he’ll know how valuable the players are. So all I’m saying is Xabi Alonso has to make the decisions.’

Joe Cole was speaking to the Metro as part of his role as ambassador for Enterprise’s #OnEveryCorner program, which gives fans in the UK and Ireland a chance to win a car when a corner kick leads to a corner kick goal. To enter, participants must post #OnEveryCorner and #Sweepstakes and tag @Enterprise on X or via OnEveryCorner.com from June 11 to July 19, 2026.‘

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