Chelsea: Xabi Alonso ‘will reject offer’ for two reasons with BlueCo to turn to ‘credible’ alternative | OneFootball

According to reports, Chelsea leading manager target Xabi Alonso ‘will reject’ the Premier League giants for two main reasons.

The Blues are in the process of appointing a new permanent manager following the sacking of Liam Rosenior last month.

Chelsea cannot afford not to get this decision right following an embarrassing 2025/26 campaign, with a significant rebuild required after a potential bottom-half finish in the Premier League.

The Premier League giants have been linked with a wide array of potential replacements for Rosenior, though recent reports have indicated that Alonso has emerged as their preferred target.

Alonso has been out of work since leaving Real Madrid at the start of this year and has reportedly named a target he wants Chelsea to sign this summer. 

However, Italian reporter Gianluca Di Marzio is reporting that Alonso ‘will reject Chelsea’s job offer’ because of issues behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge.

“I really don’t think that Xabi Alonso can or will accept an offer from Chelsea, because he knows what happened to Enzo Maresca when he was the manager,” Di Marzio said in an interview with AceOdds.com.

“He knows that the board wants to have influence on the decisions, which normally is up to the manager.

“They want to decide which players should be substituted during a match and all that stuff, which Alonso can’t accept at all.”

“Iraola has a good chance…”

Instead of Alonso, Di Marzio suspects Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has a “good chance” of joining Chelsea as a ‘credible candidate’, while another factor will block Alonso’s arrival.

“I think Iraola has a good chance of becoming the new Chelsea manager, but they will have to fix some of the internal problems at the club,” Di Marzio added.

“I think Xabi Alonso is waiting for another offer, but of course, Chelsea will try, but he won’t accept it.”

And former Chelsea forward Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink has also raised a “problem” about Alonso joining Chelsea.

“I don’t think he did that badly at Real Madrid,” Hasselbaink said of Alonso on Sky Sports News.

“Obviously what is expected at Real Madrid is being at the top all season but I think he was still within touching distance of Barcelona.

“The problem is he wants to manage how he wants to manage and he feels that the players have to follow him. Stars are a little bit different, you need the support of the club.

“I really like that, I like that he has his way, “This is how I see it, you players are going to follow my guidance and this is how I want to play and you’re going to play in a system, you’re going to run”, and if Chelsea chooses him, you have to give him the keys.

“I’ve always said that whoever you choose, you have to give them the keys and the players need to know that he is the decision-maker.”