Online Reporter
CHELSEA are planning talks with a trio of managers after sacking Liam Rosenior.
Xabi Alonso and Marco Silva, the Fulham manager, have been added to their shortlist after SunSport revealed their interest in departing Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola last week.
Iraola, 43, has confirmed he will leave The Cherries at the end of the season, while Silva – who has been with rivals Fulham since 2021 – is out of contract in the summer.
The Portuguese, 48, was offered a new deal at the back end of last year but is yet to commit to an extension and talks are continuing.
Alonso, 44, is out of work having left Real Madrid in January, just seven months after his appointment. The former Liverpool midfielder, who has been linked with replacing Arne Slot at Anfield, previously masterminded an invincible Bundesliga title win with Bayer Leverkusen, where he also won the German Cup.
Chelsea, who reached the FA Cup final with a win over Leeds on Sunday in their first game since sacking Rosenior, will not put a timeline on a new appointment.
However, the club conceded that a period of “self-reflection” was needed following the latest change in the dugout, which has left their American owners searching for a fifth permanent manager since their takeover 2022.
The two previous appointments, Rosenior and Enzo Maresca, arrived without any high-level managerial experience.
Maresca had only managed in the Championship, winning the league with Leicester, while Rosenior had worked in the Championship and enjoyed a successful spell with sister club Strasbourg in Ligue 1. Given the significance of the next appointment after two sackings this season, Chelsea are in no rush to make a snap decision.
A host of other names, including Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann, have been linked with the post though his appointment would require Chelsea to wait until after this summer’s World Cup – a risk they may want to avoid.
Calum McFarlane, the club’s former Under-21s manager who was promoted to the first team staff after taking interim charge before Rosenior arrived, will be in the dugout for the remainder of the season.
Silva and Iraola have both impressed at mid-table Prem sides, taking Bournemouth and Fulham from risking relegation to stable and competitive with the European place-chasing pack. It all comes in a stacked but moveable managerial market.
Manchester United, should they choose not to give Michael Carrick the permanent gig at Old Trafford, will also be searching for a new boss. Eddie Howe’s tenure at Newcastle could yet be coming to an end as well as he faces increasing scrutiny.
Real themselves might need to replace Alvaro Arbeloa, and there is a host of international managers who could fancy their chances back in the domestic game after the World Cup.
Thomas Tuchel – despite signing a new contract with England – and Mauricio Pochettino have all been linked with club jobs this year. – Sun.
