By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Chelsea Football Club confirmed the appointment of Xabi Alonso as the new manager, from 1 July 2026, his first managerial role in the Premier League.
The Spaniard have agreed a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge.
On his appointment, 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.”
Alonso lasted eight months at Madrid before leaving the club by mutual consent in January after poor results and widespread media reports that he lost control of the dressing room. That damaged his strong reputation built at Bayer Leverkusen, which he led to the German title and an unbeaten domestic campaign in the 2023-24 season.
Chelsea described Alonso as “one of the most respected figures in the modern game.”
“From my conversations with the ownership group and sporting leadership, it is clear we share the same ambition,” Alonso said in a Chelsea statement. “We want to build a team capable of competing consistently at the highest level and fighting for trophies.”
Chelsea looks highly unlikely to be in next season’s Champions League, however, and might miss out on European competition entirely. The club was guaranteed a trophyless season by losing to Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday, though did win the Club World Cup last summer.
Since the 2022 purchase of Chelsea by a consortium fronted by Todd Boehly, part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and largely funded by private equity company Clearlake Capital, the club’s leadership has spent around £2bn on new, mostly young players on long contracts.