Spaniard ‘excited’ to become new Blues boss after deadline set – not Xabi Alonso
Andoni Iraola would be willing to become the new manager of Chelsea, according to Fabrizio Romano, who has also revealed the deadline that the Blues’ owners, BlueCo, have set in regard to an appointment.
Calum McFarlane was placed in interim charge of Chelsea last month following the sacking of Liam Rosenior.
Rosenior was appointed the Chelsea manager only in January 2026, following the departure of Enzo Maresca.
Chelsea are now on the hunt for another permanent manager, with Andoni Iraola on BlueCo’s radar.
Iraola has already announced that he will step down as the Bournemouth manager at the end of the season.
The 43-year-old Spaniard has been superb in his role as the Bournemouth boss and could still lead the Cherries to a top-five finish in the Premier League table this season.
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Chelsea like Iraolaand transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has revealed that he would love to become the new manager of the London club.
The Italian journalist has also confirmed that Chelsea are in talks with Xabi Alonso’s agent.
Andoni Iraola wants to become new Chelsea manager
Romano said on his YouTube channel: “What I can confirm is that my understanding, apart from Xabi Alonso conversations with his agent, and Xabi Alonso would be open to returning to the Premier League, Andoni Iraola, who wants to stay in the Premier League and would be excited about the possibility to do that at Chelsea eventually, so apart from the managers being mentioned, the idea at Chelsea is to get the new manager as soon as possible, before the World Cup.
“This is the plan. So, in almost one month for sure, Chelsea want to have everything already signed, already announced, already completed.
“This is the timing in mind at Chelsea.”
READ MORE: Why might Iraola trade in Bournemouth brilliance for Crystal Palace instead of Chelsea or Man Utd?
In April, Iraola went deep into the reasons why he has decided to leave Bournemouth this summer.
The Spaniard told Bournemouth’s official website: “It has been a decision that has taken me a lot of time to take.
“It has not been a clear decision. Always during this process, this season, I’ve been talking to the club about the situation.
“They were very aware that this could happen and there is not always one main reason.
“I think the decision I’ve taken is because probably I don’t want to risk the feeling I have right now of pride and satisfaction of these three seasons.
“And you try to envisage yourself in a possible fourth season, in a possible fifth season. Everything costs more.
“We, as human beings, get tired of always watching the same faces. And I suppose I’ve decided that this was the right moment to put an end to this journey that for me has been really, really special.
“The club is in a great place. I have things in this club that I will not find anywhere else. I come to work every day with a smile and this is very valuable for me.
“But as managers, you learn because you have experience as a player, you’ve had a lot of managers, you have to choose very well when to start, where to start, when to end things.
“And it’s not a decision that I had super-clear. Sometimes, I’ve been thinking, ‘oh, I definitely am continuing here’. Other times ‘I’m not continuing here’. It’s a matter of feeling.
“There is a moment where you have to take a decision. And this is the decision I’ve taken.
“I suppose I prefer to make the mistake of ‘maybe I could have stayed one year more’, but I don’t want to make the mistake of ‘it was one year too much’ and there is a small margin that you are playing with and this is what it is.”
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