New Chelsea manager Alonso was Bayern Munich’s top choice if Kompany left | OneFootball

Chelsea have wasted no time in securing a permanent managerial appointment by bringing Xabi Alonso to Stamford Bridge.

However, the new Chelsea boss could easily have been preparing to take charge at Bayern Munich, who also sought to bring him to the Allianz Arena.

Alonso took Germany by storm in the 2023-24 season, winning the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal unbeaten, while also reaching the Europa League final – Bayer Leverkusen’s only defeat of the campaign.

When it was decided in early 2024 that Thomas Tuchel would leave Bayern at the end of the season, Alonso was unequivocally the club’s first choice to succeed him.

Alonso said ‘no’. He opted to remain at Leverkusen for one more season before accepting the Real Madrid job. Bayern then turned to Vincent Kompany.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, reflecting on the sequence of events earlier this year, was candid about how things unfolded. “After a series of rejections, we finally opted for Vini,” he said.

“It’s clear that fate sometimes smiles upon you. It’s fortunate that he’s here. I’ve seen truly great coaches at Bayern, and Vini is rising to that level.”

The Telegraph revealed that Alonso ‘would have been a certainty to take over’ in Munich if Kompany had left Bayern this summer, underlining how highly he is regarded.

Despite his time at Madrid ending early, Alonso’s reputation as a top-level manager remains largely intact, and Chelsea may have just made the best decision of the BlueCo era by appointing him.