Former Chelsea star William Gallas has warned Xabi Alonso he must be wary of Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella should he get the job at Stamford Bridge.
Former Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid boss Alonso has emerged as the front runner for the vacant role in west London after Liam Rosenior’s dismissal last month.
The former Liverpool midfielder has long been linked with a return to Anfield but Chelsea have held encouraging talks with the Spaniard.
Chelsea are seeking their sixth permanent manager since BlueCo took control of the club from Roman Abramovich. Rosenior’s 104-day reign in charge was the briefest of those with the young coach’s authority unravelling during his final weeks in charge.
During a dismal run of results, Fernandez gave various interviews to foreign media, questioning tactics in the Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain and talking up a move to Spain.
Cucurella did likewise, suggesting it would be difficult to turn down a move to Barcelona this summer.
Gary Neville accused the pair of ‘stitching up’ Rosenior as the situation at Stamford Bridge span out of control. While Gallas endured his own acrimonious Chelsea exit 20 years ago, he believes Fernandez and Cucurella made a mistake speaking out.
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The former France international also believes Alonso, if given the job, will know ‘exactly who to look out for’ when it comes to restoring some harmony at the club.
‘Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella shouldn’t have made those comments in the international break,’ Gallas told BetVictor.
‘You can’t make those comments when you’re a senior player in the squad and when you’re playing for one of the biggest clubs in the country.
‘But, Liam Rosenior shouldn’t have addressed it publicly in the press conference, that needs to be dealt with privately. If you speak negatively about a player in public nowadays, they are very offended and will blame the manager for poor performances.
‘I think Alonso will know exactly who to look out for, especially Enzo and Cucurella, but there are four or five players he’ll need to speak to in a different way compared to the rest.
‘The players need to know that, simply, they are not good enough.’