Chelsea’s season went from bad to worse over the weekend as the Blues fell to a 3–1 defeat against Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge.
It was their first league outing since the dismissal of Liam Rosenior, but there was no sign of a “new manager bounce” under interim boss Calum McFarlane, with the west London side slumping to a sixth consecutive league loss.
In the wake of another disappointing performance, supporters are increasingly calling for a high-profile appointment to take charge next season.
According to Sky Bet, a new frontrunner has now emerged, with Xabi Alonso leading the market at 2/1 to be Chelsea’s next permanent manager.
Xabi Alonso emerges as the frontrunner with Sky Bet to be Chelsea manager next season
If appointed, Xabi Alonso would bring a wealth of big-game experience despite his relatively short managerial career.
His standout achievement came at Bayer Leverkusen, where he guided the club to an unbeaten domestic season and their first-ever Bundesliga title.
That success in Germany earned him one of the most prestigious roles in world football, as he was appointed successor to Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid.
However, his time in the Spanish capital proved short-lived, with Alonso leaving by mutual consent less than eight months into his three-year deal following a dip in form, culminating in defeat to rivals Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana final.
For those expecting Chelsea to look elsewhere, Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola remains firmly in contention as the 3/1 second favourite, while Marco Silva – currently in charge of Fulham – rounds out the top three at 6/1.
Finally, Frank Lampard sits as the joint 7/1 fourth favourite alongside Xavi Hernandez, with Cesc Fabregas close behind at 9/1 to round out the leading contenders.
Sky Bet odds to be the Chelsea manager for the first game of next season:
Xabi Alonso – 2/1
Andoni Iraola – 3/1
Marco Silva – 6/1
Frank Lampard – 7/1
Xavi Hernandez – 7/1
Cesc Fabregas – 9/1
Oliver Glasner – 12/1
Filipe Luis – 12/1
Gary O’Neil – 12/1
Unai Emery – 14/1
Julian Nagelsmann – 14/1
Fabian Hurzeler – 16/1
Luis Enrique – 20/1
Jose Mourinho – 25/1
Roberto De Zerbi – 25/1
Kjetil Knutsen – 25/1
Calum McFarlane – 25/1
Ruben Amorim – 33/1
Jurgen Klopp – 33/1
Thomas Tuchel – 33/1
Zinedine Zidane – 33/1
Damien Duff – 33/1
Pep Guardiola – 40/1
- All odds are correct at the time of publication
