Andoni Iraola must do one thing before proving he can manage Chelsea
Chelsea may already be zeroing in on their primary managerial target with Andoni Iraola, but they should be patient and make sure he ticks off one big achievement first – he must qualify for Europe with Bournemouth.
The Blues sacked Liam Rosenior last week after a dreadful run of form that has left outside of the top seven, meaning they are now only on course to qualify for the Conference League, unless they can win the FA Cup, or indeed get back into the top seven.
And there is no guarantee eighth place will be a Conference League spot, either, given Crystal Palace can still win the Conference League.
Calum McFarlane is in charge for now, and the interim Blues boss managed to guide his men to an FA Cup semi-final win over Leeds United on Sunday, booking a spot in the final against Manchester City.
McFarlane is highly thought of by Chelsea, but he is not deemed a genuine option for the full-time head coaching role at this stage, and reports have suggested that AFC Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is the primary option at this stage.
Iraola will be leaving the Cherries this summer, when his contract ends, and he will be in demand given his impressive feats with both Rayo Vallecano and Bournemouth. The two clubs have very different budgets, but neither are heavyweights, and Iraola has still managed to make both sides ultra-competitive.
Crucially, Iraola has also managed to turn things around at Bournemouth after a tough start, and that’s a quality the Blues will be desperate for after seeing Rosenior fail to turn things around when things got tough.
Iraola must prove one final quality
Iraola is a solid option when it comes to Chelsea’s managerial search. He has many of the qualities the Blues should be looking for, and he has Premier League experience, which Cesc Fabregas does not – at least not as a manager.
Chelsea needs someone who is Premier League proven at an uncertain time when they simply must find someone to get the best out of this talented young squad. Failure to find the right option now could mean the Blues miss the bus on this squad, and it has not been a cheap squad to build.
Iraola has experience working with young players, managing to employ an exciting brand of football that is attacking in nature. Chelsea fans want to see that, and largely because they know what this squad is capable of.
So, it’s no surprise that the Spaniard is at the top of the shortlist, but Chelsea have an opportunity to wait and see if Iraola can finish the job with Bournemouth.
Iraola has the Cherries in the European spots, above Chelsea, and they can wait to see if the Spaniard can finish the job by qualifying for Europe. Chelsea need a finisher, someone who stays cool under pressure and gets the job done.
Iraola is not going to deciding his future until after this season, allowing Chelsea to watch on and see if he has what it takes to not only come close to meeting an objective but ticking it off and beating competition aplenty to get it done.
For a Chelsea side that will be expecting to win top four – and at some point title races – that is the final quality that the Blues should be looking to see from their next manager. Let’s see if Iraola does indeed have that quality.
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