Wayne Rooney slams Chelsea over ‘very strange’ Arsenal and Man Utd transfers

Wayne Rooney has slammed Chelsea over two ‘very strange’ transfer deals involving Arsenal and Manchester United.

Chelsea’s transfer strategy since Roman Abramovich’s departure has been widely criticised and Rooney says it is imperative for the club to bring in some experience this summer.

The Blues enjoyed an encouraging first season under Enzo Maresca, finishing fourth in the Premier League and winning both the Conference League and Club World Cup.

But Chelsea are in danger of finishing in the bottom-half of the Premier League this season and missing out on not only the Champions League but European football altogether.

It was announced on Sunday that Xabi Alonso, the former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder, would take over as Chelsea manager in the summer following Liam Rosenior’s sacking last month.

Rooney has high hopes for Alonso at Stamford Bridge and even believes Chelsea could challenge for the title next season – providing they get their summer recruitment right.

The former England captain has been baffled by some of Chelsea’s recent transfer decisions, including the decision to sell Noni Madueke to Arsenal and sign Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United.

Madueke has helped Arsenal become Premier League title favourites and reach the Champions League final since leaving Chelsea last summer, while his £52m replacement Jamie Gittens has scored just one goal.

Garnacho has also underwhelmed since his £40m switch from Old Trafford to Stamford Bridge, scoring just once in the Premier League.

‘I think Chelsea will have to sell some players because they’ve got a big squad and have made some very strange signings,’ Rooney said on his BBC podcast.

‘Selling [Noni] Madueke to Arsenal and signing [Jamie] Gittens, I just didn’t get that, I didn’t understand it. I never got the signing of [Alejandro] Garnacho, so there’s been some very strange signings.

‘There’s players there they need to get rid of to get some more experience in and help the young players.

‘We saw that in the cup final and we’ve seen it all season, they need a bit of help and guidance on and off the pitch – but if they get that right they can be a real threat next season.’

Asked whether Chelsea could be a ‘dangerous proposition’ next season under Alonso, Rooney added: ‘Yeah, definitely.

‘Chelsea are probably in a better position than Manchester United were at the start of this season.

‘They’ve got some very talented players so if they get the signings right in the summer I actually think they could be up there challenging for the title.

‘I like the fact Alonso has been announced as manager and not head coach.

‘I covered the FA Cup final on Saturday and didn’t speak too highly about Chelsea and how they’ve been but I’m actually going to praise the Chelsea owners.

‘They’re obviously clever people and I think they’ve realised they’ve messed up and are now trying to fix it. Fair play to them for doing that.

‘Xabi Alonso has done really well, winning the title at Leverkusen, and then it was always going to be tough at Real Madrid. That job was too big, too soon for him.

‘It’s going to be tough for him at Chelsea but he’s got a four-year deal and he’s been announced as the manager so he should be a little more hands on with recruitment.

‘It looks like they’re thinking a bit more long-term now because Alonso is a very talented manager still and been successful in Germany and was a top player in so many countries.

‘The players will want to play for him because he’s got aura about him.’

Chelsea wasted a change to at least partially salvage their season on Saturday as they lost to Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

Interim boss Calum McFarlane will take charge of Chelsea’s final two games against Tottenham and Sunderland before Alonso’s arrival.

This will be Alonso’s fourth managerial stint following spells at Real Sociedad B, Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid.

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