Andoni Iraola, Marco Silva and Xabi Alonso among contenders for Chelsea job

Stamford Bridge club to make contact with managers as they work to identify premanent replacement for Liam Rosenior。

Andoni Iraola, Marco Silva and Xabi Alonso are among the managers Chelsea will make checks on as they work to identify a preferred candidate to permanently replace Liam Rosenior as head coach.

Chelsea are in the early stages of working towards finding the right man to replace Rosenior and several names are said to be under consideration at this stage.

Among them are Iraola, Silva and Alonso, who may all be available at the end of the season. Iraola has confirmed he will leave Bournemouth at the end of the campaign, Silva is yet to sign a new contract with Fulham and Alonso is out of work after being sacked by Real Madrid.

Contact with representatives will be made to determine the plans of Iraola, Silva, Alonso and others at this stage, and will help shape whether those coaches are given more serious consideration. Iraola and Alonso share the same representation.

The process is being led by Chelsea’s sporting directors, who will report their findings and recommendations to the club’s owners. Co-owner Behdad Eghbali was at the FA Cup semi-final victory over Leeds United.

Telegraph Sport first reported that Chelsea are planning to change their recent strategy following the sacking of Rosenior and appoint a successor with top-level experience.

Iraola and Silva have managed in the Premier League and in top overseas leagues, while Alonso has top-level experience with Bayer Leverkusen and Madrid.

There are believed to be other, so far unnamed, candidates Chelsea are considering and the club are ready to take their time over an appointment with Calum McFarlane in interim control.

McFarlane guided Chelsea to a place in the FA Cup final and, following Sunday’s victory over Leeds, the players have been given until Thursday off following a turbulent week in which they lost to Brighton, Rosenior was sacked and they had to prepare for a semi-final.

Chelsea do not play again until next Monday, when they host relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.