After leaving Real Madrid in January under strange circumstances—despite results that called for him to stay—Xabi Alonso now has a new destination. His dismissal has proven to be a mistake, as evidenced by the club’s performance under President Florentino Pérez since his departure. Real Madrid has failed to win a single title for the second consecutive season.

Now Xabi Alonso has a tough job ahead of him: turning around a Chelsea side that has fallen apart as the season progressed and ended up without any titles and out of European competition. The contract signed by the Basque coach is for four years, so the “Blues” ownership is counting on him to build a solid, long-lasting project.

The former Real Madrid coach has already proven his worth with Real Sociedad’s reserve team, which he led to promotion to Spain’s Second Division, and, above all, with Bayer Leverkusen. In Germany, it took him one season to lead Bayer Leverkusen to the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal titles. The only match he lost was the Europa League final against Atalanta. He didn’t win any titles in his second season, but in terms of results, it was also positive.

Xabi Alonso’s Coaching Record

• Promotion to the Second Division with Real Sociedad B (2022)
• Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen (2024)
• DFB Pokal with Bayer Leverkusen (2024)
• German Super Cup with Bayer Leverkusen (2024)

No time to waste

Although he has signed a four-year contract, Xabi Alonso knows that soccer is not a patient game and that both Chelsea’s ownership and fans will demand results from the very start. Thus, the goal for the first season is clear and almost non-negotiable: qualify for the Champions League and compete to win the EFL Cup and the FA Cup.

The fact that Chelsea won’t be competing in European competitions eases their match load. Additionally, there is already talk of signings and, above all, of trying to retain key players like Enzo Fernández. The Argentine midfielder is a pivotal player in the midfield, and Xabi Alonso knows that if he stays, it will be easier to build a competitive team capable of winning it all.

Excluding last season’s Conference League and Club World Cup, Chelsea has gone eleven years without winning a title in England. The last one was the 2015 EFL Cup. Thus, another unavoidable objective now that they are not playing in Europe is to compete for a cup title. Starting in the second year, if a solid foundation is laid in this first season, the team will be expected to compete for the Premier League title and reach the final rounds of the Champions League.

2025/2026 Premier League Standings

1. Arsenal 85 points +44
2. Manchester City 78 points +42
3. Manchester United 71 points +19
4. Aston Villa 65 points +7
5. Liverpool 60 points +10
6. Bournemouth 57 points +4
7. Sunderland 54 points -6
8. Brighton 53 points +6
9. Brentford 53 points +3
10. Chelsea 52 points +6
11. Fulham 52 points -4
12. Newcastle 49 points -2
13. Everton 49 points -3
14. Leeds United 47 points -7
15. Crystal Palace 45 points -10
16. Nottingham Forest 44 points -3
17. Tottenham 41 points -9
18. West Ham 39 points -19
19. Burnley 22 points -37
20. Wolves 20 points -41