Thibaut Courtois’ verdict on Xabi Alonso now looks very interesting amid Chelsea links

Then, there is Andoni Iraola. He has already confirmed he will be leaving Bournemouth, with Marco Rose replacing him. Any belief he would be Athletic Bilbao’s next boss is over, with Edin Terzic confirmed.

Xabi Alonso is the BEST candidate for the Chelsea job 👌

The only one of the three currently out of work is Xabi Alonso, after he was sacked by Real Madrid earlier this season. Much was made of his sacking, with some claiming the players turned on the iconic Spaniard.

What Thibaut Courtois said about Xabi Alonso’s sacking

Many outlets suggested Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr did not like working with Alonso and disagreed with some aspects of his management. Alonso was sacked, with Alvaro Arbeloa now in interim charge.

His move to Madrid came after going an entire season unbeaten with Bayer Leverkusen, winning the Bundesliga ahead of Bayern Munich and finishing as a runner-up in the 2023-24 Europa League.

Amid the reports behind his sacking, former Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois spoke out. He said that it was not down to the players and defended the former Liverpool and Madrid midfielder after his exit.

“No player set up Xabi Alonso. I think we did good work. They said we hate tactics, we hate the videos… look, I had Antonio Conte who did one hour of work every day, and I was there and didn’t mind it.

“We are professionals, and the priority is my work. I think the first months with Xabi went very well and then we hit a slump. This happens in football.” I’ve read things and told myself ‘Oh my goodness’.

“You think this club is a nursery and that we do whatever we want, but it’s not like this. We respect all managers who arrive, the medical staff, and everyone,” Courtois continued, following Alonso’s sacking.

“I think a lot of criticism is unfair. Some other information is correct, and I have no problem, that’s why I tell you we are to blame too, and we’ve assumed this,” he was quoted as saying by Managing Madrid.

What the latest reports are saying about Alonso and Chelsea

Chelsea fans scoffed on social media earlier this week, when they watched Jamie Carragher claim that Alonso wouldn’t take the Chelsea job because of his Liverpool past. Reports say the complete opposite.

QUARTER-FINAL 1: Reece James vs Estevao Willian

Chelsea are not the only side interested in hiring Alonso this summer. AC Milan have also considered replacing Max Allegri with the Spaniard and yet, it appears that Milan’s hopes have now come to an end.

Milan’s attempts to persuade Alonso have hit a dead end because, as Italian journalist Carlo Pellegatti puts it, Alonso is ‘destined’ to join Chelsea. Whether or not that is actually true, remains to be seen.