Chelsea interested in England international after hiring Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso is the new Chelsea manager. Calum McFarlane will see out the season and the Spaniard will take charge in the summer. That feels like a very smart appointment. An elite tactician who has proven that he can win with youngsters. But at the same time, someone with the name value that he will get the respect of the dressing room from day one. That is something that Liam Rosenior might have failed to do, and look at how things turned out for him.
Just appointing Alonso won’t be the solution to all of Chelsea’s problems though. There is still a lot of work that needs to go into improving the squad. There are several areas where they need to strengthen before even thinking of challenging for titles.
Goalkeeper might be one such spot. Robert Sanchez is brilliant on his day but then he has plenty of off days as well. Filip Jorgensen simply is not ready and might be headed for the exit door this summer, having already tried to leave in January. On the other hand, it has been suggested that Alonso would want a more experienced shot-stopper in his squad. The presence of Lukas Hradecky at Bayer Leverkusen has been pointed out, a veteran goalie who proved integral in the Invincible Bundesliga-winning side.
Alonso might be looking to replicate something similar in that position. And according to TEAMtalk, Chelsea maintain a long-standing admiration for Jordan Pickford. He is highly regarded at the club.
Chelsea like Jordan Pickford but there is one hurdle to signing him
At the same time, there is also a recognition that signing the England international would not be simple. Everton would not want to let one of their most important players leave. On the other hand, the goalkeeper is believed to be happy as well.
That being said, one cannot overlook the fact that he is 32 years of age. He has been at Everton since 2017. There might be a desire to play for a top club and challenge for trophies before he retires.
That is not expected to happen at Everton. So, it is possible that Chelsea could be an attractive option for Pickford, especially with the chance to work with someone like Alonso.
Other than Pickford, who else could fit Alonso’s system?
Let’s see how things play out for Chelsea in this summer transfer window. Pickford is not the only goalkeeper they have been linked with either.
Earlier in the day, it was also suggested that they were ready to reignite their interest in Mike Maignan. The Frenchman had agreed to join Chelsea last summer but the Blues could not find an agreement with AC Milan.
One would imagine that there are some Premier League goalkeepers that they might have on their radar as well. But they might not have the top-level experience that Alonso is looking for, which Pickford has in spades. He has been the England number one in the past two World Cups and is expected to hold on to that spot this time around as well.
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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