Xavi is on the list of candidates to coach Chelsea

Media reports have confirmed that English club Chelsea is placing Spanish coach Xavi Hernandez, former Barcelona coach, on the list of candidates to take over as coach of the team.

According to the British newspaper “The Independent”, this approach comes in line with the training ideology established by the club’s ownership over the past four years.

The London club is currently experiencing what is described as a “period of self-reflection” after the failure that accompanied the appointment of coach Liam Rosenior, and in general after a disappointing season with the exception of the team’s campaign in the FA Cup. However, the club has begun to seriously think about the next step to ensure everything is ready before the start of the pre-season.

She said: “There is a feeling within the club that they have made tangible progress in establishing a clear footballing identity, which is now visible from the academy to all age groups. One of the main reasons for the appreciation of former coach Enzo Maresca was that his teams clearly embodied this footballing style, which is what makes him look for a coach with a similar philosophy like Xavi.”

She continued: “Accordingly, Chelsea wants to stick with a coach who adopts similar football principles, which is what made Xavi’s name stand out in the talks that also include Xabi Alonso, Porto coach Francisco Farioli, and Cesc Fabregas. However, Fabregas is not expected to leave Como this summer.”

She added: “Andoni Iraola is greatly admired by the club’s football management structure, but he is considered to be from a different training school than the other candidates. Chelsea will have to evaluate whether it will commit to changing its approach for the first time if they decide to push to sign the Basque coach, despite there being strong competition for his signature.”

For this reason, Xavi’s name has become more prominent, as he has not been associated with any work since leaving Barcelona in 2024, after a period that lasted three years during which he won the league title. While the way that era ended raised further controversy about his potential and career, there is a belief that Xavi himself sought to learn from that period, and that part of the problems were caused by his emotional attachment to his childhood club. The Catalan coach is now looking forward to a “project” that will give him more work space than Spanish football usually allows.