Chelsea are on the verge of appointing Xabi Alonso as their next manager, and an announcement could be made as early as Sunday after negotiations with the former Real Madrid manager accelerated significantly. Liverpool legend Alonso was lured to Stamford Bridge ahead of other potential suitors, including Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola and Fulham’s Marco Silva.
Oliver Glasner was also considered, but neither of them came close to Alonso. This would be a tremendous coup for Chelsea, as the former Bayer Leverkusen manager is still widely regarded as one of the best managers in European football. Remarkably, he becomes the sixth permanent manager following Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior, following the Behada Egbali and Todd Boley era.
Alonso has been in intensive talks after Chelsea approached several candidates, but it quickly became clear that he was the clear first choice.
The appointment signals a move away from the club’s preference for young managers, and Alonso’s high-profile status perhaps signals a change in the owner’s strategy. Chelsea fans have been vocal about their dissatisfaction, with a 200-person protest along Wembley Way expressing their dissatisfaction with the current government.
Maresca was sacked just months after leading the club to European glory in the Champions League and Club World Cup. They have invested heavily in young players with long-term contracts, but they have not produced any results this season.
This development regarding Alonso comes after Chelsea lost to Manchester City in the FA Cup final. The move to appoint Alonso underscores Chelsea’s determination to get back into contention for silver after a ferocious campaign that saw disastrous results and led to the sacking of manager Rosenior.
The club now faces the daunting prospect of missing out on Champions League football altogether, and could end up with no European football of any kind taking place next season.
Still, that did not prevent them from securing Alonso’s signature in order to regain their place among Europe’s elite.
