It would be safe to say that out of the names Chelsea have been linked with in recent times, Xabi Alonso is the one that stands out. As a player, there is not much that needs to be said about the Spaniard. World Cup, Euros, Champions League, La Liga, Bundesliga, he won it all in a glittering career across Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Real Sociedad. As a coach, he has shown enough potential as well.
Alonso took over at Bayer Leverkusen when they were relegation contenders. He would quickly transform that team and finish sixth. If that was not impressive enough, the following season, they won the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal double without losing a game. And they also finished runners-up in the Europa League.
Alonso’s time at Real Madrid was not nearly as successful. Even though he won more than 70% of his games with Los Blancos, he was sacked in the middle of his debut campaign. It looked like it was more due to his inability to handle the big names in the dressing room than the results or performances.
Now, Alonso is a free agent and that gives Chelsea a chance to sign him. But there is a sticking point as well, which the Blues will need to sort out this summer.
Xabi Alonso interested in Chelsea job but on one condition
According to Simon Phillips (via ChelsHub), Alonso is interested but not convinced. Initial talks already happened via agents. The Spaniard wants more control than what the club are currently offering.
If that is indeed accurate, then the Chelsea owners must make the necessary adjustments to attract. Let’s be honest, whatever this current model is, it is not working at the moment.
There is a need for change and it is not worth stubbornly sticking to. Even BlueCo have to realise that after four underwhelming seasons. Despite spending more than a billion pounds, they have not been able to put together a team that consistently qualifies for Europe. So, it is about time that the manager is given more control.
Alonso is not the only one with doubts
The report further goes on to state that Alonso is not the only one with the issue. Other candidates are believed to be asking the same questions as well.
That is understandable as well. They would have seen how things have turned out for Chelsea managers under BlueCo. The Liam Rosenior era was the lowest point.
BlueCo need to be willing to change their ways rather than going for the few managers willing to work under their model. We have already seen the results that have been produced under the likes of Graham Potter and Rosenior, two who seemed completely down with the process.
The only one who produced any success was Enzo Maresca, and he chose to walk out. There were believed to be differences of opinion with Mauricio Pochettino as well before his exit. At that point, it is quite clear that it is a fault with the model rather than the coaches.
