Chelsea are exploring a deal to appoint Xabi Alonso as the club’s new head coach.
The Spaniard is open to the possibility, but at this stage nothing is decided as the process to hire a permanent successor to Liam Rosenior continues, with outgoing Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola also a strong contender.
Alonso, 44, has been out of management since being sacked by Real Madrid on January 12 and replaced by the club’s reserve team coach, Alvaro Arbeloa.
Alonso was just seven months into the three-year deal he signed when he succeeded Carlo Ancelotti in the summer, and joined the Spanish club having guided Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title in 2023-24.
Chelsea parted company with Rosenior on April 23 after less than four months in charge, having been appointed following Enzo Maresca’s departure in January. Calum McFarlane was placed in interim charge until the end of the season.
The Athletic reported this month that names on the club’s new head coach shortlist included Alonso, Iraola, and Fulham’s Marco Silva.
Alonso is not under consideration at Liverpool at all, and the Merseyside club fully intend to go into next season with Arne Slot as their head coach.
Madrid won 10 of Alonso’s first 11 La Liga matches at the helm, including the October 24 Clasico against Barcelona. However, they were in second place, four points behind Barca at the time of his sacking, as well as having just lost the Supercopa de Espana final to Hansi Flick’s side.
Alonso joined Madrid after 18 months in charge of Bayer Leverkusen, during which he guided the Bundesliga club to their first title in 2023-24 with an unbeaten domestic season. They also reached the Europa League final, losing to Atalanta.
The former midfielder spent five years at Madrid as a player between 2009 and 2014, winning five trophies, including one Champions League title, having joined the club from Liverpool. Alonso had a five-year spell in the Premier League with Liverpool and was part of the side that won the Champions League in 2007.
Iraola, meanwhile, confirmed in April that he will leave Bournemouth when his contract expires at the end of this season. He joined the club from Rayo Vallecano to replace Gary O’Neil in June 2023 and has won admirers for the Vitality Stadium club’s attacking and entertaining style of play.
Analysis from data and tactics writers Conor O’Neill and Mark Carey
While Alonso’s time in Spain may not have been happy, it has at least prepared him to navigate the boardroom and the dressing room simultaneously.
On the pitch, Alonso has the skill set to take a team to the top of European football with his possession-dominant, high-tempo style. The 44-year-old was known for his dynamic 3-4-2-1 system during his time at Bayer Leverkusen, but was more inclined to tweak things during his time at Madrid to get the best out of his squad.
Irrespective of the formation on paper, the system would often still resemble the shape of many elite teams in recent years, with a midfielder dropping between the centre-backs, advanced full-backs, and a box midfield to control central spaces.
With one or two additions, Chelsea have the profile of players to suit Alonso’s style of play.
While his stock fell slightly after his Madrid experience, Alonso is still very highly rated, having guided Bayer Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title in 2024.
And Iraola?
Iraola has moulded Bournemouth into one of the most front-footed, aggressive teams in the league. His side rank high in the Premier League for shot-ending turnovers, evidence of their high-pressing approach.
The good news for Chelsea is that they too rank high for this, suggesting that this young squad is well-equipped to match his exacting demands.
Bournemouth’s strong showing this season is all the more impressive given last summer’s upheaval.
A consequence of Iraola’s ability to rapidly improve young players is that those stars are then picked off by bigger clubs. They lost key defenders Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez to Real Madrid and Liverpool respectively, while star forward Antoine Semenyo was signed by Manchester City in January.
Chelsea have become renowned for their squad churn under BlueCo, buying and selling a dizzying cast of young prospects. Managing this volatility is one of the toughest demands of the job, but Iraola has shown that he can quickly integrate new recruits into his system.
What would Chelsea appointing Alonso mean for Liverpool and Slot?
Analysis by Liverpool correspondent James Pearce
Throughout this turbulent season for Liverpool, the message from the club’s hierarchy has been clear — they still believe in Arne Slot.
Unrest among supporters cranked up another level with Saturday’s dour 1-1 draw with Chelsea, which left Slot’s side still scrapping to secure Champions League qualification with two games remaining.
But everything still points to FSG CEO of football Michael Edwards and sporting director Richard Hughes standing by the Dutchman this summer.
For some Liverpool fans, the prospect of Alonso taking over at Chelsea will be a bitter pill to swallow. He’s adored at Anfield from his playing days at the club under Rafael Benitez between 2004 and 2009.
Since Alonso parted company with Real Madrid in January, the calls for him to replace Slot this summer have grown. Some fans chanted Alonso’s name as they left the Etihad after last month’s heavy FA Cup defeat to Manchester City.
However, senior club figures believe there’s a misconception that Alonso was their first choice when Jurgen Klopp announced he was standing down two years ago. At the time Alonso, made it clear he was staying at Bayer Leverkusen for another season, but he was never offered the job and Slot soon emerged as the overwhelming front-runner having topped so many of the data metrics the club used in their search.
Despite the struggles of this season, FSG believe Slot remains an elite coach, who has been hampered by a lot of factors beyond his control.