Chelsea consider former Barcelona boss as potential option for full time head coach role at the club: Reports

Chelsea are reportedly plotting a move for former Barcelona manager Xavi. The Blues are looking for a new manager after the sacking of Liam Rosenior last month.

According to a report by Miguel Delaney of The Independent, Xavi is the latest name mentioned internally at Chelsea. The Spaniard is without a club after his sacking at Barcelona, but is keen on managing in the Premier League.

The former manager has joined the shortlist at Stamford Bridge, which ciurrently had Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola leading the race. The Blues are yet to have a favorite for the job, but Fabrizio Romano spoke about the interest in the AFC Bournemouth manager this week.

He claimed that the Spaniard was taking his time in making a decision, as Manchester United and Crystal Palace were also interested in him.

“For Iraola, he’s not going to rush into anything. He’s going to have lots of options and offers probably in the summer, not just from the Premier League, there’ll be interest from some top European leagues in him as well. He’ll have to be convinced by the project, but look, Chelsea are a huge club, huge ambitions.”

“Iraola has this dream of continuing in the Premier League, and in England, at the highest level possible. This is why he is linked to Man United, this is why he is linked to Chelsea. But my understanding, at the moment with Chels, still nothing advanced or decided.” (via ChelseaNews)

Xavi was linked with Manchester United and Tottenham earlier this year, but both did not appoint the manager.

Why did Barcelona sack Chelsea target Xavi?

Xavi spoke to MARCA in 2025, claiming that he was sacked because his standards at Barcelona had dropped. The Spaniard said that he wanted to resign himself, and had offered it earlier in the season, before the club convinced him to change his mind.

“I started my career as Barça manager with high-demands. For players and the club given the club was coming from a period where there wasn’t a lot of demands. My mistake was maintaining those standards only for one year.”

“(After winning La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup), I lowered those high-standards and the players no longer had that same attitude, that same respect, that effort. The standards kept lowering more and more until the point we didn’t win anything my last season. With time, I was able to be self-critical and I told myself: ‘Damn it, what happened to me?’”

The FIFA Club World Cup winners are the latest club to be linked with Xavi, who is yet to make a decision on his future.