Chelsea are pushing hard to hire Xabi Alonso as their next permanent manager, but it is quietly known that Alonso would prefer a move to Liverpool. Joe Cole thinks he knows which club he joins.
Of all the managers linked with Chelsea since Liam Rosenior’s sacking in April, Alonso is the one most strongly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea want a new manager in place in a month’s time.
Xabi Alonso just screams Chelsea manager 😍
Xabi Alonso quote
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Alonso is said to be open to a move to Chelsea, and talks between the two parties have been positive. But there is the elephant in the room, and it is Liverpool. Some reports say Alonso wants the Liverpool job.
So much so, that Alonso is delaying a reply to Chelsea. Guillem Balague claims Alonso could take a year out just to wait for Arne Slot to leave Anfield, with Liverpool planning to stick with Arne Slot currently.
Joe Cole predicts which club Xabi Alonso will join this summer
Having been at Anfield as a pundit for Saturday’s 1-1 draw between Liverpool and Chelsea, Cole – who incidentally, played for Liverpool and Chelsea – thinks Alonso and Liverpool is a match made in heaven.
Speaking on The Dressing Room podcast, Cole shared how he felt Liverpool fans have turned against Slot and believes that Liverpool will sack Slot, simply because Chelsea target Alonso is available to join.
Getafe CF v Real Madrid CF - LaLiga EA Sports
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“The reason I see Arne Slot’s time being up is because Xabi Alonso is available. You know when you see a couple together, and they’re in love, you’re like ‘that works, I can see it’,” Cole said on Alonso, this week.
“Xabi Alonso and Liverpool are just that. I think that’s the problem for Slot. It would be harsh. [If Alonso wasn’t available] No, I think they’d keep him, but because Alonso is available, I think he goes,” he added.
What David Ornstein has said about Slot’s future at Liverpool
Chelsea’s chances of hiring Alonso then, could hinge on what Liverpool plan to do with Slot at the end of the season. The Reds have two more games to play, and they could well be Slot’s final two matches.
CHELSEA PLAYER OF THE SEASON – FINAL!
According to David Ornstein, Liverpool are not planning to sack Slot or embark on a hunt for a new boss. That is, even with Alonso available and seemingly keen to take the Liverpool job. Good news for Chelsea.
Whether Chelsea can convince Alonso to forget about the possibility of the Liverpool job and take a risk at Stamford Bridge remains to be seen. But Cole seems to think Alonso will end up at Anfield soon.
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