By agreeing to be Chelsea manager, Xabi Alonso is putting his career on the line at chaotic Premier League club

By agreeing to be Chelsea manager, Xabi Alonso is putting his career on the line at chaotic Premier League club originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Last summer, Xabi Alonso was considered one of the top managers in football.

His hire at Real Madrid was believed to be a masterstroke, as the former Bayer Leverkusen boss had elevated the Bundesliga club to new heights. Yet he barely lasted seven months on the job, let go by Florentino Perez amidst a topsy-turvy campaign at the Bernabeu which saw the club eventually finish trophy-less for the second straight season amongst a myriad of off-field controversies. The Spanish boss has reportedly found his next destination, and it's a head-scratcher, as he appears headed from one poorly-run club to another.

The Sporting News explains why Xabi Alonso could be putting his managerial future at extreme risk by accepting the Chelsea job. MORE: Profiling Xabi Alonso while at Bayer Leverkusen Xabi Alonso reportedly agrees to Chelsea managerial position According to multiple reports, including Peter Rutzler of The Times and Ben Jacobs of Give Me Sport , Chelsea have an agreement in principle to hire Xabi Alonso as the club's next manager. The reports claim that an announcement could come as soon as Sunday prior to the match against Tottenham.

Such a hire would be considered a coup for Chelsea, as Alonso is thought of as one of the top available managers in the game. Chelsea still have an outside shot at qualifying for some European competition next season, but they are well out of the Champions League running and are considered outside contenders to qualify for the Europa League or even the Conference League. In all likelihood, Chelsea will not be participating in Europe next season.