Chelsea should be looking to bring in an elite manager this summer after a long list of experimental choices have failed to produce results. Liam Rosenior lasted just 107 days in the job, and the decision to appoint him was flawed from the start. We all know how things turned out for Graham Potter as well. Mauricio Pochettino had appeared to find his footing by the end of his first season at Stamford Bridge but then left.
The only one who will go down as a success is Enzo Maresca. And he chose to walk away after just 18 months. That goes to show the issues with the current model at the club. BlueCo need to change it and make it more suitable for managers, in order to enjoy long-term success.
Reports emerged earlier that Xabi Alonso would be open to the Chelsea job. But he would want more control than what is currently being offered. He might not be the only manager to making that demand either.
Alonso would be most fans’ preferred choice to be handed the job this summer. And Chelsea’s chances have been boosted, thanks to a Liverpool decision.
Chelsea’s chances of hiring Xabi Alonso boosted thanks to Liverpool
For a long while, Liverpool had seemed like the most likely destination for Alonso. He had played there for years. And the Reds could have found themselves looking for a manager in the summer. Now though, it looks like that won’t be the case.
According to a report from Sky Sports in April, Arne Slot is expected to continue as Liverpool head coach next season. This came as the club closed in on Champions League qualification.
According to the same report, Carragher said on Monday Night Football:
“Arne Slot’s job has been spoken about all season. We’ve spoken about it a lot on Monday Night Football.
“There’s probably a split in the Liverpool supporters over whether he should stay or go, but the noises I am hearing is Slot will be the Liverpool manager next season if they can secure Champions League qualification, which they look like doing right now.”
Since then, it has become even more likely that Liverpool will find themselves in the Champions League next season. They need a maximum of five points from the last four games to guarantee themselves that spot, most likely fewer than that. And that practically closes the door for Alonso to join Liverpool.
Alonso to Chelsea could be on
Interestingly, the Alonso to Chelsea rumours grew after the Slot news broke. And now, there have been suggestion that the Spaniard has a level of interest in the job as well.
Chelsea will still need to convince him. But out of the options out there, he is clearly the best one available.
Alonso has proven himself a winner while working with a young squad. He won the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal with Bayer Leverkusen, and was a Europa League final away from a treble.
His record at Real Madrid does not get enough credit either, as he won more than 70% of his games. By the end, it was the disagreements with some key players that played a bigger role in his exit than the results on the pitch, which have only gotten worse since then.
