Chelsea face a fragile run-in this season where only lifting the FA Cup could salvage what the club calls a nightmare campaign. Reports have suggested the Blues are “exploring a deal” for Xabi Alonso, and if the 44-year-old is installed as permanent manager he would arrive with recent Real Madrid contacts he knows well. Alonso lasted just 233 days on the Bernabéu touchline, but remains an attractive option to steady Stamford Bridge.

Three players who feature in the speculation are Fran García, Antonio Rüdiger and Eduardo Camavinga. Fran García had already tried to engineer a loan move to Bournemouth in the winter window before Real Madrid reportedly tore up the deal. His minutes at the Bernabéu have dwindled behind Ferland Mendy and Álvaro Carreras. There is room for García at Madrid should Mendy recover, but the left back has openly considered the Premier League. Chelsea possess Marc Cucurella, Jorrel Hato and Malo Gusto on the left, although Cucurella has been linked with a move away, which could create an opening. García thrived as a left wing-back under Alonso and would fit naturally into a 3-4-2-1 system the manager favors.

Antonio Rüdiger is out of contract at season’s end and negotiations to extend his stay in Madrid have not progressed. A return to Stamford Bridge has been mooted, with Chelsea in need of defensive reinforcements. Rüdiger enjoyed success in a blue shirt previously and would represent a cost effective short-term option if he becomes a free agent. The 33-year-old center back brings Premier League experience and a combative style that could be immediately useful.

Eduardo Camavinga has been linked with several Premier League suitors, including Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United. After a difficult season he may seek more regular minutes. The 23-year-old has already won two Champions League titles and remains a high-upside option. If Enzo Fernández departs Chelsea this summer, perhaps for Real Madrid, the club could look to a player with Camavinga’s profile to help fill the midfield gap.

Chelsea are once again searching for a permanent manager after a turbulent spell that followed the brief Liam Rosenior experiment. Rosenior arrived from Strasbourg under the BlueCo umbrella, but a perceived lack of elite experience and an inability to galvanise the dressing room left the appointment looking like a gamble that failed. The club also lost Enzo Maresca at the start of January after the Italian openly clashed with senior management.

The Athletic has reported Chelsea are “exploring a deal” for Xabi Alonso, who is currently out of work after his stint at Real Madrid. No final decision has been taken and the soccer department’s five-person leadership team will review options before recommending a candidate to the owners. The Spaniard is described as “open” to discussing the role.

Alonso arrives with strong recent credentials from Bayer Leverkusen, where he delivered the club’s first national championship and an undefeated domestic double. That record helped him emerge as a clear choice at the Bernabéu last summer because of his history as a player there and his coaching results in Germany. The criticism of his Real Madrid tenure centred on the mismatch between club and coach — Real needed a ‘manager’ to unite a squad of global stars, while Alonso is seen more as a ‘coach’ who focuses on tactical detail, and was said to have been trying to coach players who didn’t want to be. The fallout at Madrid has been amplified by reports of a rotten culture and infighting.

Many of Alonso’s strengths match Chelsea’s present needs. He has a reputation for improving young players: Florian Wirtz flourished under him, while Jeremie Frimpong, Piero Hincapié, Victor Boniface, Odilon Kossounou and Josip Stanišić were cited as beneficiaries, and veterans such as Granit Xhaka and Robert Andrich also elevated their performances. Chelsea’s squad of developing talents could suit a coach with that profile. His 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 ideas from Germany would exploit Chelsea’s centre-back depth and attacking fullbacks, with inside forwards like Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho fitting the system. Alonso also brings Premier League experience as a former Liverpool player and a record of major honours at club and international level.

Other names linked to the vacancy include Andoni Iraola, Marco Silva, Oliver Glasner and Filipe Luís. Each has differing profiles: Iraola has built success at smaller clubs, Silva has long experience in England with mixed trophy returns, and Glasner has won domestic cups but reportedly has grievances with his current hierarchy. The club’s decision will rest with the leadership team and the owners once a recommendation is submitted.

Chelsea have reportedly made Xabi Alonso their early favourite for the vacant managerial role, but the club will need to address structural issues before they can expect the Spaniard to accept.

The January appointment of Liam Rosenior as Enzo Maresca’s replacement lasted just 106 days and came amid a collapse that has almost certainly cost Chelsea a spot in the Champions League. That sequence has intensified the imperative of selecting a manager who will be given the tools and authority to deliver.

According to reports, Alonso has moved out in front of a number of candidates. His standing is linked to a managerial identity formed at clubs where he has been both player and coach. Persuading him to join will require changes to how decisions are made above the dugout.

Co-owner Behdad Eghbali’s plan to sign exclusively young players with high potential is overseen by sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart alongside recruitment directors Joe Shields and Sam Jewell. That recruitment framework has not produced the intended results and has prompted vocal opposition from players including Enzo Fernández, Marc Cucurella and Tosin Adarabioyo.

As Mauricio Pochettino recently warned, “Chelsea’s owners need to listen to something other than data.” The issue, as laid out by departing manager Enzo Maresca, was a perceived lack of trust in his judgement. Reports indicate Maresca faced pressure from upstairs over player selection, with debates often centred on fitness and the desire to accelerate the progression of the club’s project players. Teenage winger Estêvão is thought to have been at the centre of that debate.

Any prospective appointment must have clarity over the manager’s remit. If Alonso is to implement new formations, demote underperforming players or make other substantial calls, he will require the autonomy to do so. The owners began with an ambitious, long-term project; for that project to work they must place faith in the manager whose job is to manage the team.