Xabi Alonso can make Mikel Arteta Arsenal impact with Chelsea with dramatic Liverpool hijack

Chelsea have been told that Xabi Alonso would be the ideal fit for the club in the event Mauricio Pochettino left Stamford Bridge.

Pochettino has endured a tough first season in charge of the Blues in his return to the Premier League are currently 10th in the latest standings, 13 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur. The victory over Crystal Palace on Monday night saw Chelsea close the gap to seventh place to just two points thanks to losses by West Ham and Brighton.

Chelsea are also in both cup competitions this season, which will begin with the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool. That will be followed by the fifth round of the FA Cup against Leeds United a few days later.

Despite the possibility of a cup double this season, Pochettino's position as manager has been uncertain in recent weeks. All the signs are that the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge remain keen to wait until the end of the season before thinking about the manager's position.

Former Chelsea defender Emmanuel Petit also believes it's too soon to be thinking about Pochettino's position with the Blues. But Petit argues why, in the event that a change does happen, he would look to appoint Alonso from Bayer Leverkusen.

«I think that Chelsea need a proper manager with a vision, just like what (Mikel) Arteta had for Arsenal,» Petit told Betway. «But they need to give him (a manager) time to implement what he wants to do with the players.

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»If you continue to change managers because you are unhappy with results and the season, you will end up changing manager again. I don't know how many