Incoming Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso is reported to still be in regular contact with Real Madrid midfielder Arda Guler despite leaving the Spanish club earlier this year.
Alonso, 44, was fired as Real Madrid manager in January after spending barely six months in charge at the Bernabeu, but the bond he built with Guler during that time has endured.
Guler recently confirmed the pair remain in contact, telling Turkish outlet TRT Spor: “The truth is that we had a brilliant relationship. I felt as though he’d handed me the keys.”
The 21-year-old Turkey international added: “It was exactly what I was looking for, honestly. Now he’s signed for Chelsea. I hope everything goes well for him. Of course, we’re still messaging each other.”
Reports had previously suggested Guler was made to feel “invisible” by Carlo Ancelotti during a difficult first 18 months at Real Madrid before Alonso arrived at the club.
Prior to this season, Guler had managed just 24 starts in La Liga across his first two campaigns with Real Madrid, a figure that ballooned to 25 league starts in one season alone under Alonso.
That improvement came despite Guler being sidelined by injury towards the end of the campaign, underlining just how much trust Alonso placed in the young midfielder throughout their time together.
Guler elaborated further on Alonso’s management style, saying: “When he calls you into his office and explains something about tactics, it’s very hard not to be convinced. He knows exactly what you’re capable of.”
The youngster also reflected on an early exchange that highlighted Alonso’s detailed approach, recalling: “Before our first match, when I was in the starting 11, he told me that morning, ‘I want you to touch the ball more than everyone on your right.'”
Guler praised Alonso after a Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich, stating: “After the match against Bayern Munich, he told me he was very proud of me. I was really happy to see the message. I hope God smooths his path. I think he’s a great manager.”
He went on to describe the Spaniard in glowing terms, saying: “He knows exactly what he can offer you. In other words, he [is] a man who, probably, [wakes] up every day thinking about how to improve a player, how to communicate with him.”
Alonso is set to officially take the reins at Stamford Bridge on July 1, with his close relationship with Guler potentially giving Chelsea an advantage in any future pursuit of the player.
Chelsea could find themselves in need of a player matching Guler’s profile, with Joao Pedro reportedly drawing serious interest from Barcelona and potentially requiring a replacement.
