Confidence seems to be growing at Chelsea that Xabi Alonso is going to be the next manager of the club. A report even emerged earlier in the day suggesting that the Spaniard had already agreed in principle to take the Stamford Bridge job. It remains to be seen whether that is accurate or not.
Of course, that is not the only positive update that has come out lately, even though it might be the most ambitious of the lot. With the positivity around the situation growing in the media, that has raised the expectations of the supporters as well. Even an appointment does not end up going through from here, it would go down as a major disappointment.
Let’s see how this entire situation plays out. The expectation is that we will hear something concrete within days of the FA Cup final against Manchester City, which has almost taken a backseat to all this managerial talk.
According to a report from football.london, Chelsea are hopeful of confirming Alonso as their new manager as early as next week. It is believed that the Blues are keen to wrap up the appointment within days of the final. There is also a growing confidence that the Spaniard may be receptive to the approach.
Why Chelsea might want to get Alonso deal done quickly
If Chelsea have decided that Alonso is the first-choice target then there is no point waiting around. For example, Bournemouth have already confirmed Marco Rose will be the manager of the club next season even though Andoni Iraola could still help them qualify for the Champions League.
Speaking of Bournemouth qualifying for the Champions League, that would probably be bad news for Liverpool. The Reds lost to Aston Villa last night. They need to win their last game to secure their spot in the top five. Or they have to hope that the Cherries don’t win both their games in hand.
If Liverpool do end up sacking Arne Slot, many believe they would make a move for Alonso. And considering his history with the club as well as the current circumstances, one would imagine he would prefer a move to Anfield. That is why Chelsea should probably get this wrapped up as soon as possible.
Alonso might be the right manager for Chelsea
Over the last four years, BlueCo have struggled to hire the right manager for Chelsea. The only one who achieved any concrete success was Enzo Maresca, and he walked away in the middle of this season. Disagreements behind the scenes was believed to be a primary reason behind that decision.
On paper, it does feel like Alonso could be the right fit for this squad. He has shown he can achieve success with youngsters, having done so at Bayer Leverkusen. The Spaniard also has a winning pedigree both as a player and as a manager. And he knows what it takes to succeed at top clubs.
There have also been suggestions that Chelsea would be willing to tweak their structure to help Alonso. And that might be the most important thing to do, no matter who the next manager is.
Sourav Mahanty
Sourav Mahanty has covered teams like Chelsea, Celtic, Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSG and more over a career that has now lasted a decade. His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Athlon Sports, SB Nation, FanSided, The Sportster and aggregated through Bleacher Report and NewsNow. Outside of football, he is also interested in basketball, cricket and professional wrestling.
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