Two leading candidates emerge in Chelsea manager search

Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann has emerged as the leading candidate to take over at Chelsea.  

The club sacked Liam Rosenior on Wednesday following the team's 3-0 defeat to Brighton, bringing an end to a tenure which lasted just four months. 

The dismissal was on the cards with reports of a rift forming between Rosenior and a number of players, and judging by the names being linked with the manager vacancy at Stamford Bridge, it appears a decision will be made after the 2025/26 season has come to an end. 

Nagelsmann has been a target for Chelsea since 2023

Chelsea may be enduring a difficult time on and off the pitch, but they are still one of the biggest clubs in football who always want to be challenging for major silverware. 

With the team's ability to attract the biggest and best players, it remains a lucrative job to some of football's best managers. 

TEAMtalk's Graeme Bailey recently gave an update on Chelsea's hunt for a new manager and revealed that Nagelsmann is the frontrunner for the vacancy after being admired by owner Todd Boehly. 

"Chelsea are pushing on, and sources are telling me that Julian Nagelsmann is the dream appointment. He was the man the club’s co-owners Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly wanted in 2023," Bailey said.

“And whilst Nagelsmann rejected them then, it is pointed out to me that he liked the club and the people, and wanted to join them, but there were issues over the plans.

“Could that be overcome? Never say never. Chelsea are truly ambitious and know they need to get this right.”

Former Premier League midfielder Alonso provides alternative option

When it comes to alternatives, former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso is a candidate, according to Bailey.

Alonso's name is frequently being linked with possible managerial roles for next season despite failing to deliver in his first job at a 'big club' in Real Madrid. 

The Spaniard was sacked by Madrid in January and it looked like he was a certainty for taking over Liverpool, before it emerged that the Reds would be sticking with Arne Slot. 

Alonso has proven that he can deliver trophies, his Bundesliga title win with Bayer Leverkusen in 2025 was what put Alonso on a managerial pedestal after briefly breaking Bayern Munich's stranglehold on the German top flight. 

Why Alonso could struggle as Chelsea manager

However, if Alonso does happen to get hired by Chelsea, he will be in for a shock when it comes to building a team. 

Chelsea have become a club which churns through players, buying low before selling for profit, and this would be a philosophy which would not work with Alonso. 

He will want to control the incomings and outgoings at Stamford Bridge, and coupled with the protests against the ownership off the pitch, it is not a great atmosphere surrounding a club which not too long ago was winning trophies for fun. 

Whoever becomes the new Chelsea manager will be stepping into an environment where they will have little control, and could also find themselves out of a job sooner rather than later if they fail to hit the ground running and deliver immediate results.

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