Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso has emerged as a shock contender for the Chelsea top job with the Blues board drawing up a list of candidates for their appointment.
Chelsea confirmed the hiring of ex-manager Frank Lampard as the caretaker boss until the end of the season with the Chelsea camp set to commit to a thorough process in searching for a longer-term option.
According to a report from The Guardian, Chelsea have Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso on their radar although bringing in the Spanish coach, who has been in management for less than a year, appears unlikely at this stage of his career.
Alonso’s stint in Germany has caught the attention of the Chelsea hierarchy with Leverkusen sitting seventh in the Bundesliga and through to the Europa League quarter-finals where they face Union Saint-Gilloise later this month.
It remains to be seen whether Chelsea step up their efforts to appoint the 41-year-old Alonso at the end of the season with the names of Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique believed to be the frontrunners for the job.
