Xabi Alonso is out of work again and Chelsea are weighing whether the former Real Madrid coach should be their next permanent manager. Chelsea are searching for a replacement for Liam Rosenior after he was let go after just four months, and Alonso is understood to be the outstanding candidate at the moment for a club that wants an experienced winner at the top level.
That has sharpened the focus on a name that had long been linked with Liverpool. Alonso’s dream job would be managing Liverpool, and he still wants a move into the Premier League, but there is no vacancy at Anfield as things stand. Arne Slot looks set to stay and Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group still back him, which leaves Chelsea as the most realistic opening if the Spaniard decides the timing is right.
Alonso’s availability matters because Chelsea are not treating the search as a quick fix. They are working through a shortlist of about five or six names and have made contact with representatives of managers on it. Alongside Alonso, the club are also interested in Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva, while Oliver Glasner, Cesc Fabregas and Felipe Luis are among the other names being considered.
The weight of the case for Alonso is obvious. Chelsea want a manager with proven success at the highest level of the game, and he fits that brief better than most of the options being discussed. He was sacked by Real Madrid earlier this year, but his profile remains high and his pedigree keeps him in the frame for elite jobs in England and beyond.
Still, the Liverpool connection does not vanish just because Chelsea are making the first move. Jamie Carragher said he always felt Alonso would manage Liverpool at some stage, but added that taking charge of one of Liverpool’s rivals, which Chelsea are, makes it more difficult. That is the tension in the background of this search: Alonso wants the Premier League, Chelsea want an established name, and Liverpool remain the club many still see as his natural destination.
If Chelsea decide to push hard, Alonso would take the job in the right circumstances. If they do not, he stays one of the biggest names without a post, waiting for the next opening that fits his ambitions. For now, that means the most coveted vacancy in this race is at Stamford Bridge, not Anfield.
