It would be safe to say that a large section of the Chelsea fanbase wants Xabi Alonso to be brought in as the next manager of the club. The Spaniard is one of the few on their shortlist with a proven record. He won the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, ending Bayern Munich’s hold over the German league, without losing a single game. That very season, his team also lifted the DFB Pokal and were runners-up in the Europa League.
The fact that he achieved that with a squad full of youngsters should give Chelsea hope that he can do something similar for Chelsea as well. But unfortunately, after how the club have handled their last few appointments, it won’t be easy to bring in top-level managers.
At the very least, it will take a lot of convincing. It seems to be the case with Alonso as well. The Spaniard has let the Chelsea hierarchy know what he wants, if he is to take the job this summer.
What Alonso wants to become next manager of Chelsea
Alonso clearly wants a lot more control than previous Chelsea managers have had under BlueCo. Fortunately, it looks like the club are open to that prospect and view him as their main managerial target if reports are on the mark.
According to CaughtOffside, Simon Phillips wrote regarding the situation of Alonso and Chelsea:
“There is a lot of planning and Alonso is insisting that if he is to take the role, then he needs much more of a say than previous managers have had, and more assurances overall around the project and the flexibility on it all. At the moment, Chelsea are working to give those assurances to Alonso, and see him as the main target they want in.”
It remains to be seen where these conversations go. The positive is that Alonso has not walked away from talks. And the fact that they are continuing suggests that he is open to the prospect. Now, it comes down to whether the club are able to convince him about taking the job.
If Alonso does not work out, who else is left?
Xavi has already been ruled out. At least, there is believed to be nothing yet. Perhaps something could materialise in the future, especially if other managers drop out. Other than that, names like Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva have been linked with the job.
Iraola has done a fantastic job at Bournemouth. He has them vying for Europe despite seeing so many key players. But then, there are question marks over how he would fit in with this squad, that has been outrun in all 35 of their Premier League games this season. Would his high intensity translate or would it turn out to be another poor selection on the part of BlueCo that is destined to fail?
As for Silva, he just is not an appointment that would excite Chelsea fans. He has done a pretty good job at Fulham but that does not mean he would be able to meet the expectations at Stamford Bridge.
