Chelsea close to agreement with Alonso on eve of FA Cup final
Chelsea close to agreement with Alonso on eve of FA Cup final Chelsea have edged closer to an agreement that would see Xabi Alonso become their new manager on the eve of their FA Cup final with Manchester City at Wembley. The Blues are expecting to complete the deal after tomorrow’s showpiece fixture, with interim manager Callum McFarlane hoping to deliver silverware and European football after slumping to 9th in the Premier League, talkSPORT has reported. It comes as the Independent’s Miguel Delaney said that Liverpool had not been in contact with their former midfielder and Champions League winner as to whether he could replace struggling Arne Slot, losing 4-1 at Aston Villa this evening.
Chelsea fans across social media have urged their club to finalise the deal to bring Alonso to the club as soon as possible, yet BlueCo may have more time than they anticipate with the Reds maintaining their faith in Slot. The group, organised as an investment vehicle to assume control of Chelsea, will be announcing their fifth permanent manager since it bought out the London club and ended Russian businessman Roman Abrhamovic’s 19-year stint as owner. A victory over City in the final might prove to be a must should they fail to make up the four-point gap to Brighton in seventh and finish the Premier League season in a European spot, yet eighth could be enough if Aston Villa beat Freiberg in the Europa League final – handing the last remaining Champions League place to sixth-placed Bournemouth.
But they will have to do it without the Spaniard, who departed Real Madrid by “mutual consent” following their defeat to arch rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in January. The 44-year-old, regarded as one of the most exciting active managers in world football, will arrive at Stamford Bridge with an invincible season and Bundesliga title with Bayer Leverkusen under his belt and a mighty task to steady the ship after Chelsea’s most tumultuous campaign in recent memory.