Xabi Alonso has emerged as the outright favourite to become the next Chelsea manager over the past couple of days. It looks like Liverpool want to stick with Arne Slot for the time being. Manchester United are closing in on appointing Michael Carrick permanently. And if Pep Guardiola leaves Man City, Enzo Maresca is the most likely candidate to replace him. That leaves Stamford Bridge as the only realistic option for the Spaniard this summer.
The Bundesliga-winning manager might already have some grand plans for the Blues already. According to an exclusive report from The Touchline, Alonso believes in, and hopes to build, a project at Chelsea similar to the one Luis Enrique has created at Paris Saint-Germain.
One of Alonso’s main demands to Chelsea is to have full control over the squad and key sporting decisions. BlueCo are also said to have learned from their mistakes with Maresca and are willing to give the Spaniard that power.
If the reports are on the mark and all of this comes to fruition, it could be the start of things coming back on track under BlueCo. The club have needed this change for a while as the original project and structure clearly were headed nowhere.
What could Alonso’s Chelsea look like?
It will be very hard to predict what this Chelsea team would look like if Alonso does end up getting the job. He enjoyed most of his success playing three at the back in the Bundesliga.
A lot of the emphasis was on the wing-backs, who put up incredible numbers and helped push Bayer Leverkusen towards an invincible Bundesliga triumph.
One could argue that both Reece James and Malo Gusto are at their best going forward, although there are fitness concerns about the club captain. On the other flank, Marc Cucurella could be perfect for the role.
Issues Alonso might face at Chelsea
Looking through the squad, Chelsea do have the talent to play this system in most positions. One that could be a problem though is centre-back. Other than Levi Colwill, nobody else looks to be good enough to be a regular starter for a team with title aspirations.
Perhaps the goalkeeper position would be one worth taking a look at. Alonso is someone who likes his goalie to play out from the back, something that is not a strength of Robert Sanchez, a phenomenal shot-stopper but error-prone.
Anyways, the appointment is not over the line yet. We have seen Chelsea miss out on top managers in the past though. Incidentally, Enrique was one of them. Let’s hope that the Blues get this appointment right.
