Xabi Alonso is said to be in one of the leading candidates for the Chelsea job, but Jamie Carragher thinks the Spaniard would like another Premier League job.
The Blues are reportedly hoping to get a new manager locked in place in the next few weeks, with Calum McFarlane in charge until the end of the season, which now includes two Premier League games and the FA Cup final with Manchester City.
After that, McFarlane is likely to be kept on by the club, but a new full-time boss will be appointed, and it looks as though former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen boss Alonso is being seriously considered, along with departing AFC Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola.
Xabi Alonso, Chelsea and Jamie Carragher's take
Alonso worked wonders at Leverkusen, but he had a short and forgettable stint at Real Madrid, quickly losing the dressing room and failing to see out the calendar year.
Still, there is a feeling in the game that Alonso has the makings of a top manager, and that will likely be enough to earn him another big job. Whether it's at Chelsea remains to be seen, but while Jamie Carragher can see why Chelsea is an attractive destination, he wonders whether Liverpool would be the preferred option if that job was available.
“I can understand why they would go for Xabi Alonso,” Carragher said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football."
“It felt like, less than 12 months ago, he was the new kid on the block in terms of big managers, you’re thinking whether he could be the next…sort of like Pep [Guardiola]."
“Great playing career, then goes into management, has a great start, doesn’t quite work out at Madrid, but I think Madrid made a mistake in getting rid of him."
“I think it would be a great coup for Chelsea. I just thought, maybe kidding myself, obviously I’ve still got good relations with Xabi, but when players like Stevie [Gerrard] or Xabi go into management, I almost step back a little bit. I don’t want to be the type of guy that’s always asking questions or trying to find out something."
“I think he would love to manage Liverpool one day, I’m sure he would. But Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in European football right now.”
Chelsea have gone through managers at will in recent times, with the most recent manager, Liam Rosenior, lasting less than four months. The Blues now want a more proven option with experience working at title-contending clubs, but they will likely have to balance their approach, given that this board seems to want managers to go along with their strategy at all costs.
Enzo Maresca largely did that, and the moment he went against the board in asking for a more proven signing, the wheels came off the relationship. That suggests Chelsea is unlikely to hire a manager who wants total control over the role and strategy.
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