Chelsea players back Xabi Alonso as the club's next coach
Chelsea’s players believe Xabi Alonso is the ideal candidate to become their next head coach. Talks with the Spaniard’s camp are moving in the right direction, and the feeling in the dressing room is that the former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen head coach is the man to get the team back on track.
No agreement is in place, and Chelsea are keeping an open mind as they work to appoint a successor to Liam Rosenior, who was sacked last month after 106 days. Alonso is the frontrunner, but others on the shortlist include Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, Fulham’s Marco Silva, Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner and the former Flamengo manager Filipe Luís. Cesc Fàbregas has indicated that he wants to stay at Como.
The situation is expected to accelerate after Chelsea face Manchester City in Saturday’s FA Cup final. Chelsea have tracked Alonso’s progress since he began his managerial career at Bayer Leverkusen in 2022 and have been waiting for him to come on the market. Alonso, who won the Bundesliga title in 2024, has been out of work since leaving Madrid in January.
The 44-year-old has been keen to learn the lessons from his time at Madrid, where he lasted 34 games after failing to win over influential elements of the dressing room. Chelsea are looking for their sixth permanent manager since BlueCo’s takeover in 2022, but Alonso has not been put off the idea of joining. He is said to want assurances over certain elements, including a say over signings, but the indications are that Chelsea intend to give him what he needs.
If Chelsea can thrash out a deal with Alonso, it would help improve dressing-room morale. Influential players have not hidden their disquiet over Enzo Maresca's leaving. Maresca was highly rated, but Rosenior struggled to convince the team in effect downing tools before the Englishman was sacked.
The players believe the next manager must be someone who can command the respect of the dressing room and keep strong egos in line. Alonso appears to fit the bill. He was one of the greatest midfielders of his generation, winning multiple honours, including Champions League titles with Liverpool and Madrid and domestic trophies with Bayern Munich. He was a key member of the Spain team that won two European Championships and the World Cup between 2008 and 2012.
It is felt that Alonso’s standing would be a plus when Chelsea try to convince players to join. There is a growing sense within the industry that a deal will be agreed, particularly as there is unlikely to be competition from Liverpool, who have not contacted Alonso and are likely to keep Arne Slot.
