Former Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso has emerged as one of the leading candidates for the vacant Chelsea head coach role. Some reports claim Alonso has already held positive talks with Blues officials about the possibility of being the club’s head coach next season.
Alonso is at the top of the list of possible candidates
Chelsea have been linked with a plethora of managers, including Fulham’s Marco Silva and the outgoing Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola. However, Alonso is at the top of the list of potential new head coaches for the Blues.
Alonso is still one of the most highly regarded young head coaches in the game despite an underwhelming spell at Spanish giants Real Madrid, which ended in January, even though he only started the job as Los Blancos boss in the summer of 2025.
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However, Alonso had already earned his reputation as a top young coach in his previous job at Bayer Leverkusen, where he transformed the team from a struggling side to an undefeated German champion.
The move to Real Madrid was maybe a little too early for Alonso, with massive expectations on his shoulders. There will be high expectations at Chelsea, but arguably no club in the world has higher expectations than Real Madrid.
Chelsea needs a long-term appointment
The Blues need a head coach who is a long-term appointment. This season alone, the south west London club has sacked Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior. The club’s hierarchy and fans need to back the next head coach.
Xabi Alonso emerging as a ‘leading’ candidate for Chelsea and is open to a Premier League job. Club hope to appoint BEFORE the World Cup starts. (via @alex_crook) pic.twitter.com/oAsFvAukrv
— ChelsTransfer (@ChelsTransfer) May 11, 2026
Xabi Alonso has proven that he has the managerial acumen to turn clubs around, as he did at Bayer. At Chelsea, he will have bigger resources than he had at Bayer and the chance to prove that his time in Madrid was just a blip.
Alonso is the profile of head coach that Chelsea needs to help restore order on the playing side of the club, which may not be an easy or quick job.