Chelsea Are ‘Close To Reaching An Agreement’ With “Incredibly Talented” Manager

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Chelsea are in advanced talks with Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, according to reports in the Spanish media.

Catalan newspaper Sport claims that the Blues are “close to reaching an agreement” with the 43-year-old about becoming the club’s next head coach.

It is believed that Iraola was a candidate before Liam Rosenior’s appointment back in January, but it seems he wasn’t willing to take the position midway through the season.

The Spanish manager has recently confirmed that he will be leaving the Vitality Stadium at the end of his contract in July, and Sport report that, if the two parties do reach an accord, Chelsea will announce his arrival in the summer.

Iraola has been praised by his players

Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams has had nothing but good words to say about Iraola and his coaching methods. The American international says both he and his teammates have learned a great deal from him:

“You don’t replace greatness. We’ve backed him since day one. We could see how incredibly talented he was in terms of tactics and communication. He has massive ambitions for himself, but what he’s done for the club, it speaks volumes. He’s made every single one of us better.”

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What are the odds of Iraola getting the Chelsea job?

The Cherries head coach is currently the bookies’ favourite to take up the position in the dugout, with Como boss Cesc Fabregasex-Flamengo manager Filipe Luis and Fulham’s Marco Silva among the other frontrunners.

Chelsea are expected to take some time before making any decision on the club’s next permanent appointment, so we shall see if these claims from Spain about Iraola end up being true.

Read more about the Chelsea First Team Squad for 2025/26 here