Updated 09:42, 16 May 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n\n
\n
\nXabi Alonso is seen as the standout candidate(Image: Alvaro Medranda\/Quality Sport Images\/Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/button><\/p>\n
Chelsea hope to confirm Xabi Alonso as their new manager as soon as NEXT WEEK after stepping up their pursuit of the former Liverpool star. Alonso, 44, has been out of work since January, having been sacked by Real Madrid following a tumultuous seven-month spell in charge at the Bernabeu.<\/p>\n
The Spaniard previously managed Bayer Leverkusen, where he oversaw a remarkable unbeaten season and ended Bayern Munich’s 11-year stronghold on the Bundesliga title as well as winning the German cup.<\/p>\n
After making checks on the likes of Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva, Chelsea believe that Alonso is the right man to succeed interim boss Calum McFarlane, who’ll be in charge for Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester City.<\/p>\n
According to The Telegraph, Chelsea want to finalise Alonso’s appointment within days of the final, and there’s optimism that the ex-Madrid and Leverkusen manager may be willing to join. Alonso is viewed as the standout candidate to become Liam Rosenior’s permanent successor, with the Blues looking for a new manager for the fifth time in four years.<\/p>\n
WORLD CUP LEGENDS: The stars who lit up football’s greatest tournament – Buy the Special Edition today<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n READ MORE: Paddy Power offer: Get 50\/1 odds on a goal to be scored in Chelsea vs Man City FA Cup final<\/span><\/span>READ MORE: Chelsea’s new manager handed perfect first signing…and it won’t cost a penny<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThe 44-year-old has also been linked with the Liverpool job which could become available if Arne Slot is sacked. However, Anfield chiefs are unlikely to make a change should they qualify for the Champions League.<\/p>\n
The sight of Alonso in the Stamford Bridge dugout might sting for some Liverpool fans, although club legend Jamie Carragher would like him to succeed.<\/p>\n
“If he does get the job, I’ll probably want Chelsea to win a little bit more than I normally do with him being a former team-mate,” Carragher told Sky Sports.<\/p>\n
Would Xabi Alonso be a good appointment for Chelsea? Have your say in the comments section.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n
\n
\nXabi Alonso has also been linked with former club Liverpool(Image: Liverpool FC\/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/button><\/div>\n
“We’ll see if Xabi gets the job, and if he does really well next season. That may be a masterstroke next season by not listening to the pressure of the supporters and sticking with the manager (Slot) who’s already won the Premier League.”<\/p>\n
As for McFarlane’s verdict on Alonso, he said: “There’s a lot of names linked with the job.<\/p>\n
“It’s not really my place to say who should get it, or who’s a good manager, who’s not a good manager. My job is to prepare the team for Saturday and that\u2019s all I’ll be focusing on.”<\/p>\n
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football<\/strong> content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us – and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.<\/em><\/p>\n\n
\n
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package<\/p>\n
\n
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.<\/p>\n
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chelsea are closing in on appointing Liam Rosenior’s permanent successor, with Xabi Alonso emerging as…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9195,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9194","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\/9194","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=9194"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9194\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}