Chelsea are actively looking for a new coach and hope to finalize the contract before the 2026 World Cup takes place. Currently, there are many bright names in the sights of American owners, but only 2 candidates are emerging: Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola.
Among these 2 Spanish coaches, Xabi Alonso currently holds more advantages in the race for the hot seat at Stamford Bridge. Alonso was sacked by Real Madrid on January 12 and has not accepted any offers since then. The former Liverpool midfielder was appointed by Los Blancos with a 3-year contract but only worked for 7 months, then had to leave his position due to internal conflicts.
In terms of achievements, Alonso is rated higher than Iraola because he won the Bundesliga title with Bayer Leverkusen in the 2023-2024 season. That year, if Leverkusen won the Europa League, they would be the first team in history to win 3 titles with an unbeaten record in the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Europa League. Unfortunately, Leverkusen lost to Atalanta in the Europa League final with a completely overwhelmed game.
Liam Rosenior came to Chelsea in January to replace Enzo Marescao but had to leave office in April. Currently, Calum McFarlane is acting and the remaining goal this season with The Blues is the FA Cup final this weekend.
Ignoring the short time at Real Madrid with many complicated behind-the-scenes stories, Xabi Alonso's talent has been proven in the Bayer Leverkusen shirt. Although his time at Real did not leave anything positive in terms of achievements, it also helped Alonso mature, especially in controlling the dressing room and grasping the psychology of stars.
In terms of tactics, Alonso was successful with 3-4-2-1 with Leverkusen. This is also the tactics that brought Chelsea to the Premier League championship most recently in 2017 with Antonio Conte. Enthusiasm and passion in the playing style are what Chelsea is lacking, both good and it is Alonso's strength.
Looking at Chelsea's current squad, they have a very thick squad but have not fully utilized the potential of the players. Just a few small personnel adjustments this summer, without buying too much, Chelsea can operate in Alonso's forte in the near future.
As for Iraola, he has turned Bournemouth into the most unbeatable team in the Premier League this season with an extremely impressive unbeaten streak. Not only does Bournemouth have a solid playing style, but they are also in the group of top teams in the Premier League in terms of high-pressing, ball robbery and recovery ability.
Chelsea currently does not have good results due to poor scoring output, but in return, this is a young team and has many other sub-indices in terms of playing style similar to Bournemouth. If Iraola comes, he can almost immediately fit into the common playing style.
Iraola's ability to elevate stars is also noteworthy. In recent years, Bournemouth has produced a series of valuable stars, as evidenced by contracts such as Milos Kerkez (Liverpool), Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid) or Antoine Semenyo (Man City). If Iraola comes and elevates young talents, BlueCo's business will also progress better. This may also be the reason he is considered quite suitable for Chelsea at this time.
