Chelsea did establish contact with former Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez, but he is still unlikely to take charge of the London club.
Chelsea have been very disappointing in the ongoing campaign. The Blues have underperformed and have had multiple managerial changes. After a run of five straight defeats in the Premier League, without scoring a goal, the Blues sanctioned the departure of Liam Rosenior.
While the English manager had only taken charge earlier in the year, he couldn’t survive long enough. Following his departure, the Blues have brought in Calum McFarlane to guide them through the final phase of the ongoing campaign. In the meantime, the London club continues to look at potential candidates.
According to Ben Jacobs, Xavi Hernandez has held talks with Chelsea regarding the managerial role. The former Barcelona manager’s camp insists that the Blues have reached out to them. While Xavi is open to a move to the Premier League, the Blues are not expected to go ahead with it.
They have already ruled out the option of signing the 46-year-old, who has been without a job since leaving Barcelona in the summer of 2024. Xavi did an exceptional job for the Catalan giants, as he helped steady the ship and then guided them to the league title.
Xavi is linked with a move to Chelsea
However, he eventually left the club after some background tension. Xavi has been calmly waiting for the opportunity to return to management. While Chelsea’s camp have held talks with him and he is keen on moving to England, the London club is unlikely to sanction his departure.
Xabi Alonso, Marco Silva, and Andoni Iraola are some of the biggest names on their radar. While Xavi did emerge as a potential candidate, they have completely ruled out that possibility. Alonso, Silva, and Iraola are way ahead of the former Barcelona manager. As a result, it will be interesting to see who eventually ends up replacing McFarlane on their bench.
Given the kind of results they have had of late, the Blues can’t afford to get another managerial appointment wrong. As a result, they are putting in a lot of effort to ensure they have the right man to lead their new project that revolves around signing the best young players.