London club Chelsea have appointed Xabi Alonso as their new manager on a four-year deal, the club announced on Sunday, May 17. The 44-year-old Spaniard becomes the sixth permanent manager at Stamford Bridge in four years.
“Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Xabi Alonso as manager of the men’s team,” the club said in a statement. “The Spaniard will begin his role on July 1, 2026, having agreed a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge.”
The appointment comes a day after Chelsea lost the FA Cup Final to Manchester City at Wembley on Saturday, May 16. The club currently sit ninth in the Premier League with two games remaining and are without European football next season.
From Leverkusen to Stamford Bridge
Alonso rose to prominence as one of Europe’s most highly regarded managers after guiding Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten German league and cup double in the 2023-24 season. The former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder went on to manage Real Madrid, but departed the La Liga giants after just seven months, leaving last January.
The scale of the task
Chelsea have won the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Conference League, but have little else to show for well over one billion pounds approximately $1.35 billion spent on players since US consortium BlueCo took over in 2022 following Roman Abramovich’s ownership of the club. Saturday’s defeat at Wembley means Chelsea have now gone eight seasons without a domestic trophy.
Fans have repeatedly protested against BlueCo’s approach to squad-building, which has focused heavily on acquiring young talent from across the world. While that policy has produced notable results England international Cole Palmer among them a lack of experience in both the playing squad and coaching staff has been widely cited as the reason for the club’s inconsistency.
Alonso becomes the sixth permanent manager at the club in four years, following Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, Enzo Maresca, and Liam Rosenior.
(With inputs from AFP)
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