Xabi Alonso faces Chelsea ‘dilemma’ as dream job revealed

13 May 2026 07:03 BST | 4 min read

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006

Xabi Alonso has held talks with Chelsea over becoming the Blues’ next permanent manager and is interested in the role, but the Spaniard faces a ‘dilemma’ as he weighs up his options.

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Out of work since being sacked by Real Madrid in January, Alonso has held “positive” talks with Chelsea regarding the possibility of taking over in West London.

He appears high on the shortlist of the Premier League giants along with the likes of Andoni Iraola, Marco Silva and Cesc Fabregas, but the Spaniard faces a big decision as Sky Sports believes that his “dream” job remains Liverpool.

Up at Anfield, Arne Slot is under serious pressure but has been given the backing of the Reds’ board, meaning that the job will not become vacant in the immediate future.

Alonso would take Chelsea job ‘in right circumstances’

Alonso is seen as the “outstanding” candidate to take over at Chelsea, according to Sky Sports’ transfer expert Kaveh Solhekol, who also indicates that the Blues are studying some possibilities whose names have yet to be mentioned in conjunction with the job.

He adds that the 44-year-old is interested in the job and confirms that he would take the job – but only in “the right circumstances”.

However, the former Liverpool midfielder still sees a move to Anfield as his ideal possibility.

‘Chelsea job is Alonso’s if he wants it’

The stalling of the Spaniard is said to be an indication that he is still considering a move to Liverpool in the long term, the iPaper reports.

It cites an unnamed source who claims: “The Chelsea job’s his if he wants it.”

However, it adds that Alonso would have “taken the Chelsea job by now if Liverpool was not in his thinking”.

Could Slot still be sacked at Liverpool?

The situation at Liverpool looks uneasy, and while Slot continues to enjoy the backing of the board, he finds himself in a volatile position as the summer approaches.

During Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea, there was audible booing for the decisions he made – most notably that to replace Rio Ngumoha in the second half of the encounter.

Unless the Reds suffer an almighty collapse in the final two matches of the season, they will play Champions League football next term, and that is likely to satisfy the board to prolong his stay at the club.

Where this leaves Alonso and Chelsea is unclear. Will the Spaniard continue to sit it out in order to wait for the possibility of getting a crack at the Liverpool job later this year, or will he dive back into management at Stamford Bridge in a notoriously tricky role?

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