LONDON (AP) — Xabi Alonso is set to be named Chelsea coach after reaching an agreement with the Premier League club, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press on Saturday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the appointment has not been publicly announced.
Alonso talked with Chelsea in the past week and is expected to sign a four-year contract.
It would be the Spaniard’s first job since lasting less than eight months at Real Madrid. Alonso left Madrid by mutual consent in January after poor results and widespread media reports that he lost control of the locker room.
Despite the short tenure at the Bernabeu Stadium, Alonso’s reputation remained high across Europe after leading Bayer Leverkusen to a German league and cup double and breaking Bayern Munich’s dominance of the Bundesliga.
Chelsea has been searching for a new coach since firing Liam Rosenior last month.
Rosenior was the second coach to be fired since the turn of the year following the departure of Club World Cup winner Enzo Maresca in January.
Alonso would become the fifth permanent coach appointed by Chelsea’s American owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital since they bought the club in 2022.
After firing Champions League winner Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea brought in Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, Maresca and Rosenior in the search for a coach who could bring sustained success.
Club icon Frank Lampard was given an interim role and current interim Calum McFarlane is in his second spell in charge of the first team this season.
Despite spending more than $1 billion on new signings, Chelsea has yet to challenge for the Premier League title under its U.S. owners. It did, however, win the Club World Cup last year as well as the UEFA Conference League.
This season it looks likely to miss out on qualifying for the Champions League for the third time in four seasons. It is also going to end the season trophyless after losing to Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer