Xabi Alonso might well be heading to the Premier League this summer, with the former Liverpool midfielder on the radar of Chelsea ahead of a possible appointment
06:00, 13 May 2026
Former Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso.
Former Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso.(Image: Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
Jamie Carragher and Joe Cole are in agreement that it might be now or never for Xabi Alonso to become Liverpool head coach — though Arne Slot is expected to keep his job this summer.
Alonso's availability has regularly been put forward as a case for Slot being moved on, even though there are huge mitigations for why the season has not gone to plan at Anfield. A year on from winning the Premier League title, Slot admitted last weekend that he can't turn fan opinion around in the next two games, but did insist that things would be different next year.
With Alonso's options limited, he might be open to a move to Stamford Bridge this summer. The Spaniard has been out of work since being fired by Real Madrid in January.
READ MORE: Trent Alexander-Arnold faces fresh Real Madrid chaos and Jose Mourinho stormREAD MORE: Jamie Carragher makes Xabi Alonso to Liverpool prediction amid Chelsea talks - 'I'm sure he would'
"I can understand why (Chelsea) would go for Xabi Alonso," Carragher said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.
"It felt like, less than 12 months ago, he was the new kid on the block, if you like, in terms of big managers, you’re thinking whether he could be the next... sort of like Pep [Guardiola].
"Great playing career, then goes into management, has a great start, doesn’t quite work out at Madrid, but I think Madrid made a mistake in getting rid of him.
"I think it would be a great coup for Chelsea. I just thought, maybe me kidding myself, obviously I’ve still got good relations with Xabi, but when players like Stevie [Gerrard] or Xabi go into management, I almost step back a little bit.
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. (Photo by Fadel SENNA / AFP via Getty Images)
Xabi Alonso has been strongly linked with Chelsea job(Image: FADEL SENNA, AFP via Getty Images)
"I don’t want to be the type of guy that’s always asking questions or trying to find out something.
"I think he would love to manage Liverpool one day, I’m sure he would. But Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in European football right now.
"I think once you manage one of Liverpool’s rivals, as Chelsea are, I think it makes it a little bit more difficult. I don’t see how you go from Chelsea to Liverpool. Maybe a bit down the road, but I think it makes it more difficult."
While heading to Chelsea would not rule anything out in the future, Joe Cole is of a similar opinion to Carragher. Going to Chelsea now would at best mean a move elsewhere before a return to Anfield, should that be a possibility in the future.
Get LFC's 2025/26 season home and away kits
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Content Image
From $100
LFC.com
See the deal
Liverpool's home and away strips for the 2025/26 season are the first in their new partnership with adidas.
Fans can order jerseys in the US at Fanatics.com or via the LFC Online Store in both the US and across the world.
"I always come back to the fact that Xabi Alonso’s available, and that is the thing that is always hanging there," Cole said recently on TNT Sports.
"He might not be available again. You see what he did with Leverkusen, it didn’t work at Real Madrid, so there’s that. But of course, Arne Slot should stay. It’s just Xabi Alonso’s there, and this place would light up again with him in the hot seat."
Article continues below
Alonso's former teammate, Bolo Zenden, said this week that he should avoid Chelsea because it is too big a risk. However, there are not loads of other options out there for the Spaniard having already managed in the Bundesliga and La Liga.
With PSG off the table as Luis Enrique is set to stay and the Manchester United job likely unappealing, Chelsea might be Alonso's only remaining choice.
Going to Stamford Bridge, though, at least in the view of Carragher and Cole, could mean that getting the Liverpool job further down the line becomes much more difficult.