Iraola the Prize Asset as Chelsea Ramp Up Manager Search with Glasner and Kovac in Mix

Chelsea's hunt for a permanent manager is gathering pace, and all roads appear to lead to Andoni Iraola at the moment. The Bournemouth chief will become available when his contract expires this summer, and the Spanish tactician sits atop the Stamford Bridge wish list.

Reports suggest Iraola would face considerable difficulty declining any formal approach from Chelsea, despite the club's well-documented reputational challenges in the managerial sphere. The lure of a top-six job still carries considerable weight, it seems, even with the baggage that comes attached to Fulham Road these days.

Behind Iraola, the Blues are casting their net wider. Oliver Glasner and Niko Kovac have both surfaced as credible alternatives on Chelsea's shortlist, with preliminary contact being made with representatives of potential candidates. The recruitment machinery is now moving into a higher gear.

Calum McFarlane continues to hold the fort as interim boss following Liam Rosenior's departure last week. The caretaker has achieved the notable feat of steering Chelsea into the FA Cup final, though his tenure was always destined to be a holding operation rather than a long-term solution.

The Rosenior appointment has drawn particular criticism in retrospect. Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes was unsparing in his assessment, describing the decision as "crazy" and questioning what Chelsea's ownership structure was attempting to achieve. Scholes noted that nobody within football circles had endorsed the appointment, and that once the owners committed to the choice, they had to accept the consequences when results deteriorated.

The deterioration was indeed severe—five consecutive Premier League defeats without scoring proved terminal for Rosenior's tenure. Scholes argued such a run was simply unsustainable at a club of Chelsea's standing, and the subsequent sacking vindicated that grim prognosis.