Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali has personally set his sights on a title-contending manager to replace Mauricio Pochettino, with pressure growing on the Argentine after yet another poor Premier League campaign at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea booed in Wolves defeat
The Blues' latest league defeat to Wolves saw them drop to the bottom half, with the Old Gold leapfrogging them into 10th after they secured a 4-2 win over Pochettino's side in west London.
"The worst…" – Media slam one Chelsea player against Wolves
It was not a good day at the office for Blues.
ByHenry JacksonFeb 4, 2024
Boos rang around the ground as Chelsea suffered two humbling consecutive defeats while conceding eight goals in the process, and there have been reports that those within Chelsea are not aligned when it comes to Pochettino and some of his decisions this season.
Lesley Ugochukwu
6.20
Noni Madueke
6.47
Malo Gusto
6.50
Mykhailo Mudryk
6.55
Axel Disasi
6.63
Chelsea have lost nearly half of the top-flight matches they've played this season while conceding more goals than every other side above them in the table – numbers which make for grim reading after they spent nearly £400 million last summer in an effort to back Pochettino.
The prospect of European football seems far-fetched at this point, but Pochettino does have an opportunity to clinch some much-needed silverware as they gear up for an EFL Cup final against Liverpool soon.
Nevertheless, Chelsea's on-field form has been poor yet again, and chairman Todd Boehly is under mounting scrutiny alongside Pochettino. Chelsea have even been linked with managers to replace Pochettino, with one coach turning heads all over the continent and now at Cobham.
Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso, who is also a widely reported contender to replace Klopp at the end of this season when he departs Anfield, is currently unbeaten at the top of the Bundesliga and could usurp serial winners Bayern Munich to the German top-flight crown.
Eghbali eyeing Alonso to replace Pochettino
French news outlet Sport Zone have an update on Chelsea's interest in the Spaniard. Indeed, it is believed high-ranking Chelsea chief Eghbali wants Alonso to replace Pochettino, but fellow board member Boehly "tempers" the move.
The 42-year-old tactician has worked wonders at Leverkusen, first taking over when they were in real trouble yet transforming them into league-leading dominators. Right-back Jeremie Frimpong, speaking early last year, was effusive in his praise for Alonso after he first helped to turn the tide.
"He is a great coach, he came and gave us new energy, it was a fresh start. Everyone wanted to impress. When he arrived it was like we forgot about the start of the season and we focused on improving because there was still a lot of the season left," said Frimpong.