After all the talk regarding the Xabi Alonso situation over the last 48 hours or so, it would be a disappointment to most fans if an appointment did not end up taking place. But you never know in football. We have seen top-level managers being heavily linked with Chelsea in the past, only for things not to work out.
This time around, it feels slightly different though. It seems like BlueCo are willing to move away from their model and offer the next manager more control over matters. That could be the key in bringing Alonso to the club.
In fact, it looks like it might not be just interest when it comes to Alonso at this point. It seems that he has already been loosely interviewed. According to Chelsea.news, Julien Laurens said about the situation:
“They [Chelsea] have gone through the process of speaking to those managers [on the shortlist], not fully interviewing them, in the sense of, like there have been chats, and then some of them have presented already their project to the club, and what they would do, like Xabi Alonso, for example, who apparently was quite impressive to the people that interviewed him.”
Chelsea hierarchy left impressed with Xabi Alonso’s interview
Out of all the names that have been mentioned as potentially the next manager of Chelsea, Alonso does seem like the most impressive one out there. It all fits a little too well.
He has worked with a young squad in the past and guided them to success. Bayer Leverkusen won an invincible Bundesliga under Alonso. They are the only team in history to do so.
Just think of the territory that covers. All those dominant Bayern Munich teams could not do what Alonso achieved with a young squad that was 17th in the Bundesliga table when he arrived. He turned them from Neverkusen to Neverlusen in the eyes of German football fans.
What Xabi Alonso is expected to demand
It is very likely that Alonso would want more say than what recent managers have had at Chelsea. And most fans might prefer that as well.
We have seen how this BlueCo model has worked out over the last four years. The last thing the club needs is to continue on the same path. It might be much more successful if the manager has the final say on football matters.
Some reports have also suggested that the first thing he would want in the summer is for two centre-backs to be signed. Once again, that is something that the fans will agree with. From everything we are hearing so far, Alonso might be exactly what Chelsea need right now.
Now, it remains to be seen if an appointment will end up happening or not. If it does not, BlueCo will lose further popularity while a large section of the fanbase have already made up their minds.
