As Chelsea continue to ponder who will be named as their next manager next season, football.london gives the latest on the recent links to ex-Barcelona manager Xavi
18:43, 05 May 2026
Xavi Hernandez is speaking during the press conference prior to the UEFA Champions League match against SSC Napoli in Barcelona, Spain, on March 11, 2024
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Xavi has been linked with Chelsea(Image: Urbanandsport/NurPhoto)
Chelsea have not made any contact with the representatives of ex-Barcelona manager Xavi. Club chiefs are still pondering who will take over next season.
At present, football.london understands the three candidates Chelsea are considering are Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, ex-Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso and Fulham chief Marco Silva, with no contact being made with Xavi.
The latter has been out of a job since Barcelona sacked him at the end of the 2023-24 campaign. He has previously been linked with a move to the Blues but, as it stands, there have been no discussions between the club and him about becoming the next permanent boss in the summer.
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Iraola, Silva and Alonso are still understood to be the three main contenders to takeover from Calum McFarlane at the end of the campaign. The latter was put in caretaker charge after Liam Rosenior was sacked.
Chelsae are not in a rush to appoint a permanent successor, despite the Blues having an FA Cup final on the horizon. Rosenior was dismissed last month after a poor 3-0 away loss to Brighton and Hove Albion, despite barely being three months into a six-and-a-half-month contract.
Head Coaches Marco Silva of Fulham and Andoni Iraola of Bournemouth during the Premier League match between Fulham FC and AFC Bournemouth at Craven Cottage on December 29, 2024 in London, England
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Silva and Iraola are both believed to be on Chelsea's shortlist(Image: 2024 AFC Bournemouth)
BlueCo are looking to learn from their previous mistakes and are using the time between now and the end of the campaign to reflect and make a considered decision on the next boss. Alonso is a free agent after being sacked by Real Madrid in January.
Meanwhile, Iraola is still at Bournemouth, but the Spaniard has already confirmed he will leave the Vitality Stadium at the end of the campaign. Silva is also still in charge at Fulham, but his contract is up at the end of the season.
The former Everton manager is yet to make a decision on his future and will likely wait until the end of the season to do so. Until a decision is made, McFarlane will be in charge of the Blues for the remainder of the season.
Real Madrid's Spanish coach Xabi Alonso reacts during the Spanish Super Cup final football match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid at the King Abdullah Stadium in Jeddah on January 11, 2026. Real Madrid appointed Alvaro Arbeloa as new coach on January 12, 2026 after coach Xabi Alonso has left the club by mutual consent, a day after the team lost the Spanish Super Cup final against rivals Barcelona, AFP reports
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Xabi Alonso is still on Chelsea's shortlist(Image: AFP or licensors)
His second temporary spell began with a 1-0 triumph over Leeds United in the FA Cup semi-final, but the Blues were knocked back down to earth by Nottingham Forest. Vitor Pereira's side, despite making several changes to their starting eleven, beat Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge.
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It's a result which leaves the Blues in danger of missing out on European football entirely. Had Jeremy Doku not scored a last-minute equaliser for Manchester City against Everton, Chelsea would have dropped down to tenth position.
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