Recently, Chelsea confirmed the appointment of Xabi Alonso as head coach of the men's team from July 1, 2026. In an official announcement, the London team said that the Spanish strategist has signed a four-year contract and will start as soon as this season ends.
Chelsea is pleased to announce the appointment of Xabi Alonso as head coach of the men's team," the club's announcement said.
His appointment reflects the club's belief in the experience, coaching qualities, leadership ability and football model that he has built in his career.
Previously, Chelsea just sacked coach Liam Rosenior after only 106 days in charge, who was chosen to replace Enzo Maresca who was sacked in the middle of the season. With successive bad results, Chelsea's leadership had to strongly change.
Initially, Alonso's ability to lead Chelsea was not highly rated due to his special connection with Liverpool. The former Spanish midfielder was once a symbol at Anfield and was considered a potential candidate if Liverpool parted ways with Arne Slot.
However, Liverpool decided to continue giving Slot a chance after a season of decline, thereby paving the way for Chelsea to complete the deal with Alonso.
Speaking after being appointed, Alonso said he was convinced by Chelsea's long-term plan: "Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in the world and I am very proud to be the coach of this team.
Through conversations with the leadership, I feel a very big ambition. We want to build a team capable of competing for major titles.
The 44-year-old strategist also highly appreciates the potential of the current Chelsea squad: "This team has a lot of talent and development potential. The important thing now is to build a correct culture and create a winning spirit.
In his coaching career, Alonso worked at Real Sociedad B, Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid. The biggest mark of this strategist took place in Germany, when he helped Bayer Leverkusen win the Bundesliga with an unbeaten record in the 2023-2024 season.
