Xabi Alonso Tipped as Ideal Candidate to Replace Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea

• Xabi Alonso has been tipped as the ideal candidate to manage Chelsea
• The Spaniard has been linked with several jobs after his superb work at Bayer Leverkusen
• He is on course to deliver a first Bundesliga title in the club’s history

As speculation around Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso continues, one former Premier League player believes the Spaniard would be the ideal candidate to take over at Chelsea.

Current Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has endured a tough first season with the club, as the Blues currently sit 10th on the log, 13 points off Champions League places.

It is a far cry from what fans initially expected when Pochettino, a Ligue 1 title winner with PSG, took charge at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2023.

While there are no suggestions of Chelsea dismissing their manager, it has not stopped the rumour mill and talks of possible replacements in the event the Argentine leaves the club.

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Petit on Pochettino’s ideal replacement

Former Arsenal man Emmanuel Petit is among those who have explored potential replacements for Pochettino and believes Alonso would be the perfect fit for the Blues.

Petit believes Chelsea could do with a manager with a long-term vision for the club, and Alonso could be the one to return the club to its glory days.

"I think that Chelsea need a proper manager with a vision, just like what (Mikel) Arteta had for Arsenal," he said told Betway, per Football London.

“But they need to give him (a manager) time to implement what he wants to do with the players.”

He added, "[Jose] Mourinho is free, so he could be an option. But he's not my preference, there are new managers who are doing great things. I'm thinking about Xabi Alonso for example, I'm very impressed with his work in Germany but there are many great managers that are available."

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Alonso has already proven himself to be a top coach despite a fairly young career in football management.

His Bayer Leverkusen side sits five points above Bayern Munich and made a statement in the title race with a 3-0 win against the Bavarians on Saturday, February 10.

The former Liverpool midfielder has an impressive 64.71 per cent win rate in German football, per Four Four Two.

Man City vs Chelsea preview

Sports Brief also took a closer look at Chelsea’s next game which is a crunch match against title contenders Manchester City.

Everything is at stake for both teams ahead of the Saturday clash, and recent form and position in the league table will likely not matter.

The two sides’ first meeting this season was an entertaining game of football, which ended in a 4-4 draw.