{"id":773,"date":"2026-04-25T16:36:46","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T16:36:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=773"},"modified":"2026-04-25T16:36:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T16:36:46","slug":"i-cannot-talk-iraola-breaks-silence-as-chelsea-race-heats-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=773","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;I cannot talk&#8221; Iraola breaks silence as Chelsea race heats up"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"content-main\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--post-header--><\/p>\n<div id=\"post-feat-img\" class=\"left relative\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" class=\"attachment- size- wp-post-image ewww_webp_lazy_load\" alt=\"chelsea\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Chelsea-FC-161.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Chelsea-FC-161-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Chelsea-FC-161-768x432.jpg 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Chelsea-FC-161.jpg\" src-webp=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Chelsea-FC-161.jpg.webp\" srcset-webp=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Chelsea-FC-161.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Chelsea-FC-161-600x338.jpg.webp 600w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Chelsea-FC-161-768x432.jpg.webp 768w\"\/><img width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Chelsea-FC-161.jpg\" class=\"attachment- size- wp-post-image\" alt=\"chelsea\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Chelsea-FC-161.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Chelsea-FC-161-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Chelsea-FC-161-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Chelsea-FC-161.jpg\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1200\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"675\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--post-feat-text-->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><!--post-feat-img--><\/p>\n<section class=\"social-sharing-top\">\n<p><span class=\"fb-but1\"><i class=\"fa-brands fa-facebook-f\"\/><\/span><span class=\"social-text\">Share<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#\" onclick=\"window.open('http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=\u201cI cannot talk\u201d Iraola breaks silence as Chelsea race heats up -&amp;url=https:\/\/sixsports.in\/i-cannot-talk-iraola-breaks-silence-as-chelsea-race-heats-up\/', 'twitterShare', 'width=626,height=436'); return false;\" title=\"Share This Post\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"twitter-but1\"><i class=\"fa-brands fa-x-twitter\"\/><\/span><span class=\"social-text\">Share<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"whatsapp-but1\"><i class=\"fa-brands fa-whatsapp fa-2\"\/><\/span><span class=\"social-text\">Share<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"pinterest-but1\"><i class=\"fa-brands fa-pinterest-p\"\/><\/span><span class=\"social-text\">Share<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"email-but\"><i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-2\"\/><\/span><span class=\"social-text\">Email<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p><!--social-sharing-top--><\/p>\n<div class=\"sx-entity-card\">\n<div class=\"sx-entity-top\">\n<div class=\"sx-entity-logo\">\n                <img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"350\" height=\"350\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"CHELSEA\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/chelsea_fc_logo-1.avif\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"350\" height=\"350\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/chelsea_fc_logo-1.avif\" alt=\"CHELSEA\"\/>\n            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"sx-entity-description\">\n<p>            Chelsea is one of England\u2019s premier football clubs, competing in the Premier League and European competitions such as the UEFA Champions League. Known for its strong squad, tactical versatility, and competitive history, Chelsea has won multiple league titles, domestic cups,\u2026            <a class=\"sx-entity-readmore\" href=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/team\/chelsea\/\"><br \/>\n                Read More about CHELSEA\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The manager\u2019s office at Stamford Bridge is empty once again. After just over 100 days in charge, Liam Rosenior has been sacked by Chelsea. The club is now searching for its next leader, and one name is at the top of everyone\u2019s list which is Andoni Iraola.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-andoni-iraola-speaks-out-his-opinion\">Andoni Iraola Speaks Out His Opinion<\/h2>\n<p>For weeks, people have been talking about Andoni Iraola moving to the Blues. The impressive accomplishments of the Spanish manager during his tenure at Bournemouth have made them competitive for spots in Europe. With his planned departure as manager of Bournemouth after this season, many assumed he would go to Chelsea immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, of the professional response from Iraola was, <strong><em>\u201cI\u2019m not going to provide information about my future at this time.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>  He was asked this week about the possibility of working as Chelsea\u2019s manager. He explained that his only focus is on his current team.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>READ MORE: Chelsea sack twist: Rosenior \u2018says goodbye\u2019 as dressing room loss<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cI cannot talk right now about my future because it is not fair to the Bournemouth supporters,\u201d<\/em><\/strong>  Iraola told reporters. He wants to finish the season strongly with the Cherries before deciding where he will go next. Although he did not indicate a preference for either option, the fact he has yet to rule it out has contributed to Chelsea\u2019s excitement!<\/p>\n<p>As per reports, Bournemouth, he showed that he could beat big teams using a high-pressure style of play. Chelsea has a very young squad that has struggled to score goals recently. Many experts believe that Iraola\u2019s tactics would help stars like Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson find their best form again.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-197291\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-90.webp 1200w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-90-600x338.webp 600w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-90-768x432.webp 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-90.webp\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-90.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-197291\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-90.webp 1200w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-90-600x338.webp 600w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-90-768x432.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-other-leading-candidates\">The Other Leading Candidates<\/h2>\n<p>While Iraola is the favorite, he is not the only person Chelsea is looking at. Since the sacking of Liam Rosenior, a few other big names have emerged as lead candidates:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 <strong>Xabi Alonso: <\/strong>The former Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid manager is one of the most wanted coaches in the world. However, his tenure at Madrid raises question in his capabilities.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 <strong>Filipe Luis: <\/strong>A former Chelsea player who has had great success coaching in Brazil. He is well known among the club as well as the fans.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 <strong>Cesc Fabregas:<\/strong> Cesc Fabregas is not in the English Premier League. However, he is playing managerial role in Italy. He is young, intelligent and possessing an understanding of the English Premier League.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 <strong>John Terry:<\/strong> As mentioned in earlier reports, the legendary captain is a popular choice among the players. Even if he isn\u2019t the head manager, many want him involved in the new coaching setup.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>READ MORE: Rosenior out! Chelsea sack boss after Brighton humiliation<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Chelsea\u2019s owners, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, have admitted that mistakes were made with previous deals. They called the sacking of Rosenior is a time for self-reflection.<\/p>\n<p>This means the club will not rush into a new permanent signing. They have put Calum McFarlane in charge as an interim manager until the end of the season. This gives the board time to talk to Iraola and other candidates properly once the season is over.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>READ MORE: \u2018Don\u2019t deserve\u2019: Enzo and Caicedo slammed after blow<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-next-for-chelsea-from-here-on\">What is Next for Chelsea from here on?<\/h2>\n<p>Chelsea is currently sitting in the middle of the PL table. They need a big win in the FA Cup semi-final against Leeds United to keep their season alive.<\/p>\n<p>Whether it is Andoni Iraola or another top candidate, the next manager will have a huge job. They need to stop the revolving door of coaches and bring some trophies back to Stamford Bridge. For now, the world of football is waiting to see if Iraola will be the man to finally fix Chelsea.<\/p>\n<div class=\"preferred-source-box\" style=\"margin-top:40px;padding:25px;background: #1865b4;border:1px solid #ddd;border-radius:8px;text-align:center;\">\n<h2 style=\"font-size:24px;margin-bottom:10px;color:#fff;\">ENJOYED THIS STORY?<\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-size:16px;margin-bottom:20px;color:#fff;\">\n<p>                    Add Six Sports as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting\n                <\/p>\n<p>                    <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" style=\"max-width:260px;height:auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/img\/google-trusted-source\/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.webp\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goal.com\/img\/google-trusted-source\/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.webp\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" style=\"max-width:260px;height:auto;\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"after-article-links\" style=\"margin-top:20px; font-size:14px;\">Follow the latest updates from <strong>Premier League<\/strong>, <strong>The League<\/strong> and<br \/>\n        <strong>Champions League<\/strong>or explore more<br \/>\n        <strong>Football<\/strong> stories, <strong>Football Teams<\/strong> &#038; <strong>All Football Competitions<\/strong> . Follow more updates on CHELSEA. You can also check <strong>Latest Sports News<\/strong> or visit <strong>Six Sports<\/strong> for more Football updates.<\/div>\n<div class=\"fe-author-box\" itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\">\n<div class=\"fe-author-avatar\">\n        <img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b698e6d21fab58b34665a1c31d912595a976d89d14d8de0c868d4f1a8f9f9906?s=200&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-100 photo\" height=\"100\" width=\"100\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b698e6d21fab58b34665a1c31d912595a976d89d14d8de0c868d4f1a8f9f9906?s=100&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b698e6d21fab58b34665a1c31d912595a976d89d14d8de0c868d4f1a8f9f9906?s=100&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g\" srcset=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b698e6d21fab58b34665a1c31d912595a976d89d14d8de0c868d4f1a8f9f9906?s=200&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-100 photo\" height=\"100\" width=\"100\" decoding=\"async\"\/>    <\/div>\n<div class=\"fe-author-content\">\n<h2 class=\"fe-author-name\" itemprop=\"name\">\n<p>                Debanjan Mallick<br \/>\n        <\/h2>\n<p class=\"fe-author-bio\" itemprop=\"description\">\n<p>                Debanjan Mallick is a Senior Football Writer at Six Sports, delivering expert coverage of football matches, player performances, and tactical developments. With substantial experience in football journalism, he focuses on providing detailed analysis and feature articles that engage readers and offer deeper insights into the sport.&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\nThrough his contributions to Six Sports, Debanjan produces comprehensive football content, including match breakdowns, tactical evaluations, and analytical features. His writing blends clarity with expertise, making him a reliable source for fans seeking high-quality football coverage.            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mvp-org-wrap\" itemprop=\"publisher\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Organization\">\n<div class=\"mvp-org-logo\" itemprop=\"logo\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"690\" height=\"145\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Six-Sports.png\" src-webp=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Six-Sports.png.webp\" class=\"ewww_webp_lazy_load\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"690\" height=\"145\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Six-Sports.png\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Six-Sports.png\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><!--mvp-org-logo--><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Six Sports\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><!--mvp-org-wrap--><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--posts-nav-link--><\/p>\n<div class=\"mentioned-article-block\">\n<h3 class=\"mentioned-title\">Mentioned in this Article<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--comments-button--><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--comments-->\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Share Share Share Share Email Chelsea is one of England\u2019s premier football clubs, competing in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=773"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/773\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}