Former Chelsea forward Ruud Gullit has praised Xabi Alonso for pushing the London side to rethink their transfer philosophy.
Gullit believes the Spaniard recognised the need for more senior figures and responded by signing players such as Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck.
He also stressed that experienced professionals can make a major difference on and off the pitch by helping younger team-mates understand the path to success.
Transfer shift
During an exclusive chat with ComeOn, Gullit said of Chelsea’s recent shift away from buying youth: “I don’t know if there will be a difference for Chelsea and Xabi Alonso now.
“They had a certain philosophy and now they have changed the philosophy.
“We have to see if that’s going to be good for the stability of the club or not.
“We don’t know which way it will go and only time will tell.”
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Alonso influence
On Alonso’s role in the apparent strategic change at Stamford Bridge, Gullit stated: “I like that the first thing Xabi Alonso did was go and bring more experience into this Chelsea team.
“He knows they needed it, and it means that Chelsea as a club have changed their philosophy a bit for Alonso.
“They saw it wasn’t working and they’ve tried to change it.
“It will still take time for Chelsea because they have so many young players there, and Alonso will need time to bring some order to them.”
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Enough experience
Speaking about the importance of having enough experience in a squad, Gullit explained: “Look at Chelsea and who they brought in this summer with Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck.
“That is so important for the locker room and for the training sessions.
“The older players can teach you what it takes.
“When you’re young yourself, you need to learn it from somewhere else, and they didn’t have that at Chelsea.”
Asked to rate the Blues’ Premier League title chances, the Dutchman added: “Can they win the title this year under Alonso? It could happen but it’s about sustainability. That is the most difficult part.”
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