Xabi Alonso has been confirmed as the new Chelsea manager on a long-term contract.
The Spanish tactician has penned terms on a four-year deal to succeed Liam Rosenior at Stamford Bridge and will begin his reign on 1 July ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
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The 44-year-old is likely to lead the Blues in a season without European football after a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City under interim boss Calum McFarlane in the FA Cup final with the side currently ninth in the Premier League with two games remaining.
Following his exit at Real Madrid in January, Alonso has reflected on his time in management, which peaked with his Bundesliga triumph at Bayer Leverkusen last year, and has opted for a quick return.
Alonso is back in English football, too, having spent five years at Liverpool as a player. And while the Basque manager’s coaching credentials and potential to acquire trophies attracted Chelsea, his character and ability to lead also proved decisive in the process.
Alonso said: “Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in world football and it fills me with immense pride to become manager of this great club.
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“From my conversations with the ownership group and sporting leadership, it is clear we share the same ambition. We want to build a team capable of competing consistently at the highest level and fighting for trophies.
“There is great talent in the squad and huge potential at this football club and it will be my great honour to lead it. Now the focus is on hard work, building the right culture and winning trophies.”
A Chelsea statement said: “His appointment reflects the Club’s belief in his broad set of experiences, coaching quality and game model, leadership attributes, character and integrity, which were key to the decision to ask him to help lead the next phase of Chelsea’s journey.
“He is regarded not only as an outstanding football coach, but also as a proven leader and partner across a number of areas essential to the demands of driving the team.”
Xabi Alonso is back in management after his exit from Real Madrid this January (PA)
Chelsea also considered Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola and Fulham’s Marco Silva with both managers also available with their contracts due to expire this summer.
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Despite assessing the project and taking lessons from both the Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior eras, Chelsea are thought to maintain an ultimate desire to regularly contend for the very biggest prizes in English and European football under Alonso. And Chelsea believe Alonso can do so by building a distinct culture on and off the pitch.
Under BlueCo, Chelsea will continue to operate under a collaborative process, but Alonso’s title is manager and not head coach, a move that signals a slight shift in approach and the increased influence he could have compared to his predecessors.
Chelsea’s transfer policy will continue to involve their numerous sporting directors, including Paul Winstanley, Laurence Stewart, Joe Shields, Sam Jewell and David Fallows, but Alonso and the ownership will also be heavily involved throughout this summer’s transfer window and beyond.
The Spaniard will become the fifth permanent at Stamford Bridge in the BlueCo ownership era, with Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, Enzo Maresca and Rosenior all coming before him.
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Alonso will be unveiled shortly after beginning work at the start of July and his first match in charge could be on 28 July, with the scheduled friendly against Australian side Western Sydney Wanderers at Accor Stadium.
The Blues also face Tottenham during their time in Sydney on 1 August, before travelling to Hong Kong and taking on Juventus on 5 August, with a friendly against AC Milan also scheduled for 8 August in Jakarta.
Xabi Alonso will take over at Chelsea this summer (Reuters)
Chelsea pre-season 2026/27
28/7/26: Western Sydney Wanderers – 10:45am BST
1/8/26: Tottenham – 10:45am BST
5/8/26: Juventus – 12:30pm BST
8/8/26: AC Milan – 1:00pm BST
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