Chelsea reportedly plotting a move for 42-year-old Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso, a target for Liverpool.
According to a report from Sports Zone, Chelsea are looking at 42-year-old Spanish manager Xabi Alonso, a target for Liverpool, as a potential replacement for Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine manager is under tremendous pressure following a series of disappointing displays in recent months.
Chelsea crashed to a comprehensive defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers at home in their last game, and the performance has fuelled speculations surrounding the feature of the Argentine manager. It will be interesting to see if Chelsea decide to sack him in the coming weeks and appoint a new manager.
Pochettino is a quality manager who has proven himself in the Premier League over the years. But he has not been able to get the best out of the Chelsea players this season. Despite spending hundreds of millions of pounds in the transfer market, Chelsea have been quite mediocre with their performances and it reflects in their league position.
They are currently 11th in the standings, with just nine wins from 23 league matches. The Blues need to improve immensely to convince the club hierarchy that Pochettino is the right man for them going forward.
On the other hand, Xabi Alonso has done an exceptional job at Bayer Leverkusen, who are currently on top of the Bundesliga. He will hope to guide them to a league title before leaving the club. It is highly unlikely that he will abandon the project midway through the season. So, Chelsea will have to wait until the summer transfer window before they can secure his services.
Meanwhile, the 42-year-old has been linked with the return to his former club Liverpool as well. The Reds will part ways with Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season, and they are looking to bring in their former midfielder as a replacement.
Xabi Alonso might prefer to return to his former club compared to Chelsea. In addition, Liverpool are in a far better position compared to the Blues, and they are more or less guaranteed to compete in the UEFA Champions league next season.
Alonso is certainly one of the most exciting young managers in the game right now. So, the interest from Chelsea is hardly a surprise. It will be interesting to see who they appoint as the replacement for Pochettino if he is shown the door.
