Andoni Iraola is one of several candidates Chelsea are considering for the vacant head coach role at Stamford Bridge a week after they parted company with Liam Rosenior
Former Chelsea winger Florent Malouda believes it would be a “good thing” if the Blues signed Eli Junior Kroupi from Bournemouth in the summer transfer window – and has called on his old club to try their luck with Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
The Cherries signed Kroupi from Lorient last year for a fee estimated to be around £12million and the Ivorian has flourished in his debut season in the Premier League. In 29 top-flight appearances this term, the 19-year-old forward has scored 11 goals – attracting plenty of attention ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.
Chelsea have been loosely linked with Kroupi in recent times but there is nothing concrete regarding the Blues’ interest just yet. Whoever the west London club’s new head coach ends up being could have a big say in their transfer business, and if it is Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, then all the signs would point towards Kroupi.
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As reported by football.london on Tuesday, Iraola is one name on Chelsea’s shortlist. The Blues have already made initial contact with Iraola’s representatives to try and gauge interest in the vacant head coach role in west London. However, nothing is advanced just yet, with Chelsea, sources say, in no rush to appoint Liam Rosenior’s permanent successor.
The Spaniard, who will depart Bournemouth when the current season concludes, is appreciated by the sporting leadership team at Chelsea, but he is not the only one; with Fulham’s Marco Silva and free agent Xabi Alonso also on the list. There are also understood to be other unnamed candidates under consideration.
Speaking to Snabbare, former Chelsea winger Malouda said: “Eli Junior Kroupi to Chelsea? He’s a very good talent. I played against his father, I remember, in France, he was an Ivory Coast international player.
“He did very well last season, one of the top players in France, and I am very happy to see him doing well this season as well. Again, I believe he needs to confirm it for one more season, at least in the Premier League, before going into one of the big clubs, because I mentioned the competitive aspect.
“They’re looking to get game time and the confidence that comes from that. He might not get it at a top club if he jumps too early. So, I think he came to the Premier League to develop himself, to challenge himself, and he needs to keep doing that.
“So, even if a club like Chelsea were able to sign him, which would be a good thing, to send him on loan would be a better option than to keep him in the squad without game time.”
Chelsea are set for a busy summer in terms of incomings and outgoings at Stamford Bridge. One area that has been spoken about amongst supporters is the goalkeeper position. Mike Penders will return from his loan at Strasbourg in the summer and the club are set to assess his options ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
The 20-year-old Belgian goalkeeper has enjoyed his time in France this season, with senior figures at Chelsea believing he has the potential to be the club’s long-term No.1. Whether or not that is from next season remains to be seen. While Robert Sanchez, overall, has had a strong season with the Blues, there are still some question marks amongst fans over if he is good enough to be the club’s go-to goalkeeper.
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson could be an option, though there is nothing – at this moment in time – to suggest interest from Chelsea. The Brazil international has just over 12 months left to run on his current deal at Anfield and has been strongly linked with a move away in recent weeks.
While bringing in the 33-year-old would help with adding experience to the young Chelsea squad, Malouda believes it would create a difficult situation at his former club.
Malouda said: “I would say that if I put myself in his position, it must be very challenging for Robert Sanchez to hear every week about being replaced due to a few mistakes. That also goes with the responsibility of his position and the modern way of playing, where he’s involved in the build-up and takes a lot of risk to sometimes create from the back.
“I don’t think his goalkeeping abilities are a problem. I think the mistakes when he wants to be part of the build-up are the problem to fix. But I believe he still has a future.
“The main reason is we don’t have a replacement yet, so we shouldn’t put negative pressure when we don’t have another solution, even internally. And this is something that you prepare, because all those talks, I think, affect the goalkeeper’s confidence.”
Asked about Alisson, Malouda replied: “Should Chelsea go after Alisson? I mean, we definitely need experience and we need competition in that position. But again, if you talk about money invested or money spent, I don’t think we can afford to spend too much money on those positions if it’s not to start.
“And we also have the problem, if you bring a goalkeeper like Alisson, do you keep Sanchez as well, and how do you manage the situation? So you have to assess all of these points before really feeding those speculations. And I think today it’s just speculation because of the contractual situations.”
