Next Chelsea Manager: Xabi Alonso Odds Slashed In Significant Swing

Xabi Alonso has emerged as the shock favourite with the bookies to become the next Chelsea manager. Intriguingly, Alonso, who has been out of work since being sacked by Real Madrid in January, is now trading around the 7/4 mark.

The Blues are on the hunt for a new boss after Liam Rosenior’s tenure lasted just 107 days. Although Calum McFarlane has stepped into the breach on an interim basis until the end of the season, Chelsea will be eager to appoint a proven manager in the summer to shake things up and put the club back on the path to success.

Xabi Alonso making big moves

Only a couple of weeks ago, Alonso seemed to be a distinct outsider for the Chelsea vacancy, as he was priced at 25/1 with leading betting sites. The 44-year-old worked wonders during his time at Bayer Leverkusen, steering the club to the Bundesliga title in 2024, going the entire campaign unbeaten, and he put himself on the map.

Famed for their aggressive high pressing, Leverkusen became one of the most entertaining teams to watch in Europe. However, things unravelled at Real, where he lasted just seven months before the club’s president, Florentino Perez, wielded the axe following a string of poor results.

Moreover, it was thought that Alonso’s inability to handle the egos of a dressing room full of stars, including Vinicius Jr., contributed to his downfall in the Spanish capital.

Although Alonso’s odds have tumbled to take over the reins at Stamford Bridge, the former Liverpool midfielder has been linked with a dramatic return to Merseyside. With Arne Slot’s future up in the air following a dismal campaign by their standards, Alonso is currying plenty of favour on that front.

Blues in crisis mode

From a performance perspective, things have spiralled out of control. Chelsea are currently on a desperate run of six Premier League defeats on the trot, and they have scored just once during that period.

In their most recent 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest, Chelsea were taken apart by a second-string side, and the Blues have been in free fall, sliding to ninth in the table.

The prospect of a season without European football is a distinct possibility, and although their season could end in silverware with the FA Cup next weekend, McFarlane refused to suggest the players have given up.

Earlier this week, he said:

“The performances haven’t been good enough, we’re in a really bad run at the moment. But I do see these boys every day, every training session, every meeting, in the gym, they are in a good place to go and attack games.

“We just haven’t been able to translate that into the game on Monday, so hopefully we can improve that on Saturday.”

Andoni Iraola still in the frame

In the midst of Alonso’s price drop, Andoni Iraola remains in the mix. Iraola, who will leave Bournemouth at the end of the season, has been heavily linked with the Chelsea position, but his odds have drifted slightly to 10/3 with some operators.

Iraola is likely to court plenty of interest from clubs, and although he hasn’t decided where his next job will be, he is currently the favourite to succeed Eddie Howe at Newcastle should the board call for a change.

Elsewhere, in terms of other developments, the bookies have lengthened the odds of Jose Mourinho, who enjoyed two spells in charge of the West London outfit, to 20/1.