As things stand, Xabi Alonso remains the first choice to take over as Chelsea manager but according to Guillem Balague, Alonso might make a drastic decision which would see him ignore the Blues.
Chelsea have been in talks with Alonso and the belief is that those talks have run smoothly. With Alonso out of work currently, he is the clear first-choice candidate over both Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva.
Xabi Alonso just screams Chelsea manager 😍
Xabi Alonso quote
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Alonso is said to be open to joining Chelsea, even if there have been murmurs he is waiting for Liverpool to make a decision on Arne Slot. Chelsea are not rushing into anything, with three games left to play.
But this is Chelsea Football Club, and fans will be well aware that when it comes to BlueCo, they could easily be left disappointed. Now, Spanish reporter Balague has given his take on Alonso’s future.
Guillem Balague suggests Xabi Alonso could take a year out
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, Balague was asked about Alonso’s plans amid the links with Chelsea. He said that it is conceivable that Alonso decides to reject a move to West London.
Indeed, Balague says that, actually, Alonso may decide to take a year out of football management. The Spaniard believes Alonso may decide to wait for the Liverpool job to become available in due course.
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“Xabi Alonso has got a plan,” Balague started. “The plan was from Real Sociedad B, to go to Bayer Leverkusen. If it doesn’t work well, back to Real Sociedad. If it goes well, Real Madrid or Liverpool.
“That’s his career. And Liverpool, I’m hearing, are not changing the manager. So he could take a year off. Why not? And wait for his time to go to Liverpool,” Balague claimed, suggesting Liverpool is his choice.
“I think that’s where he’s going next. Iraola fits much more the mould of what Chelsea have been requiring and how they treat and what they do with the managers,” Balague added, on the MNC.
Why Chelsea are confident Xabi Alonso fixes Liam Rosenior issue
The issue Chelsea had with Liam Rosenior is that the players never took to him. Whether it be his CV, his comments in the media, his ban of Enzo Fernandez is unclear. One player called him a ‘supply teacher’.
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Rosenior could not get the ego-filled dressing room on side. Of course, with leadership among the ranks, such apathy with a manager would not be allowed. But in this Chelsea squad, that sort of thing happens.
Changing a squad and bringing in that kind of leadership takes time. In the meantime, Chelsea need to hire a manager who can galvanise the squad and instantly gain their trust. Alonso certainly does that.
Indeed, according to reports, Chelsea believe the squad will take to Alonso, in the way they didn’t with Rosenior. Ultimately, Rosenior was an easy appointment, and BlueCo have paid the price for that.
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