After his highly publicized exit from Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso is now taking on another chaotic club with Chelsea. Is this a courageous decision or a mission destined for failure?
On Sunday, Chelsea officially confirmed what had been increasingly evident in the preceding days: Xabi Alonso will be the new head coach for the upcoming season. Many likely reacted with the question, «Why is he putting himself through this?» Even if he weren’t coming from an incredibly complicated and negatively turbulent tenure at Real Madrid, why Chelsea specifically? Why move to another struggling club with chaotic potential?
Beyond the fact that Alonso’s four-year contract until 2030 undoubtedly includes a substantial salary, a small detail in Chelsea’s official announcement hints at what might have been on Alonso’s ‘pro’ list. While English top clubs like Chelsea introduced direct predecessors Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior as ‘Head Coach,’ Chelsea referred to Alonso as ‘Manager.’ This might seem like an insignificant difference at first glance, but it could hold significant implications for day-to-day operations.
As ‘Manager,’ Alonso possesses more power regarding squad building and transfer policy than the two ‘Head Coaches’ before him. It’s understood that the Spaniard didn’t necessarily push for this himself; rather, it’s attributed to a shift in the strategic direction of BlueCo, the consortium that acquired Chelsea in 2022. For Alonso, this means that by taking on sporting director duties alongside his coaching role, he can influence the club’s future more strongly and sustainably. This could be an argument for Chelsea potentially showing the necessary patience with him, compared to his predecessors, to genuinely build something new – a truly formidable team, step by step.
However, the owners did not ultimately extend this patience to Maresca, who arrived in the summer of 2024 with high expectations. The Italian was indeed in the process of building something, having led Chelsea back to the Champions League after a two-year absence with a fourth-place finish the previous season, winning the Club World Cup last summer, and at the time of his dismissal around the turn of 2025 to 2026, the Blues were still in fifth place in the Premier League – a position now out of reach.
Xabi Alonso Had Similar Experiences at Real Madrid as His Predecessor at Chelsea
Maresca was still forced to leave, and just over four months ago, Chelsea found themselves preparing for a new, ideally long-term project once again. From Racing Strasbourg, also owned by BlueCo, they swiftly brought in Liam Rosenior, who had been working very successfully in France, to London in early January as Maresca’s successor. ‘This is a club with a unique spirit and a proud history of winning titles. My job is to protect that identity and build a team that embodies those values in every game and continues to win trophies,’ Rosenior stated upon his arrival.
However, building a team, which Alonso is now embarking on, was not possible for Rosenior. The 41-year-old lasted just three and a half months. After a decent start, the first downward spiral marked his end. Following seven defeats in the previous eight competitive matches, Chelsea pulled the plug at the end of April and sacked Rosenior, who had even been given a contract until 2032. The English coach’s downfall was likely exacerbated by his inability to win over some of the high-profile players, with the dressing room reportedly not taking him seriously at times.
This serves as a warning sign for Alonso, whose failure at Real Madrid had similar roots. After a highly successful stint at Bayer Leverkusen, the 44-year-old moved to Los Blancos last summer, one of his former clubs as a player. Alonso was expected to shape an era at the Bernabeu but ultimately lasted just over half a year. Months before his dismissal, media reports began to surface suggesting that his methodology wasn’t resonating with many of the stars in the Real Madrid squad. Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, and others apparently didn’t follow Alonso’s lead, despite his significant reputation. The interpersonal rifts increasingly undermined the prospect of sustained sporting success, and Alonso reportedly described his team as a ‘kindergarten’ due to constant friction.
Does he face a similar situation at Chelsea? Rosenior’s alleged experiences suggest so, but the Blues are apparently banking on Alonso’s aura, which, due to his reputation as a player and a league-winning coach at Leverkusen, is considerably more impressive than that of his predecessor. BlueCo is convinced that Alonso is a coach whom Cole Palmer and others will follow. In short, Alonso has a real chance to genuinely inspire the players. The fact that Chelsea has reportedly been monitoring Alonso for four years speaks to the confidence in his abilities. With his great achievements at Leverkusen, he ultimately became the absolute dream coach for Stamford Bridge, whom they could finally secure.
Will Xabi Alonso Get the Best Out of Chelsea’s Potential?
Another factor that makes Alonso’s perception of potential at Chelsea quite understandable is the undeniable quality present. With Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, the Blues have two of the world’s best central midfielders, and with Cole Palmer, one of the most capable creative players. Added to this are some highly exciting top talents like Estevao and Jamie Gittens in attack, and Jorrel Hato in defense. Or a center-back like Levi Colwill, who was on his way to world-class before his ACL injury.
It doesn’t take much imagination to envision Alonso further developing these players individually and molding them with his tactical insights into a unit that can once again compete at the absolute top in England and Europe. Certainly, adjustments will be needed, such as the long-overdue signing of an absolute top goalkeeper and ensuring that Joao Pedro receives more support up front and can develop into an even more reliable goalscorer.
Alonso must have thoroughly assessed the situation at Chelsea before accepting the mammoth task. After all, given the developments surrounding Arne Slot, the coaching job at Liverpool might have been a possibility for him in the foreseeable future. At Anfield, where he became an icon as a player, and where one of the three clubs (Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Liverpool) he identified as dream destinations after leaving Leverkusen is based. It’s possible that the Real Madrid fiasco prompted Alonso to reconsider and deliberately choose a club with which he has no prior history, and where the personal stakes are, at least from a personal perspective, not as dramatic.
From an objective standpoint, the bold step of signing with Chelsea certainly presents a significant risk for the former world-class midfielder’s coaching career, which began so brilliantly. If Alonso falters at a second major European top club, his reputation as a coach will undoubtedly suffer its first lasting blow. In that sense, he is indeed taking a risk, especially considering the enormous challenges at Chelsea.
Xabi Alonso at Chelsea: A Fine Line
The bloated squad of the English club, with numerous oversized contracts, lacks structure, and the player personnel sometimes appears to have been assembled almost arbitrarily. Alonso must first trim the fat, clarify within a complex setup who he relies on and who he doesn’t. He needs to instill a clearer hierarchy in the team and, amidst all the youthful talent, requires a bit more experience. It’s no coincidence that reports suggest Alonso’s primary focus in his first summer transfer window will be to bring in more ‘mentality monsters’.
As is well known, Chelsea has the financial resources to extensively reshape the squad. The Blues, in turn, likely want to leverage the name of their new boss in the transfer market in the future, explicitly enticing sought-after players with the development opportunities that working with Alonso can offer their careers. This will be even more crucial as the current tenth-placed team will not be participating in the Champions League next season and may not even be involved in European competition at all.
The question remains how much patience Chelsea’s bosses will realistically have if the plan with Alonso – as is to be expected – doesn’t immediately go as desired, and if predictable dips occur. Will the Spaniard truly be given the necessary time, unlike Maresca or Rosenior? Since Thomas Tuchel’s departure over three and a half years ago, Chelsea has gone through five managers, with Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, and Rosenior all trying their luck in vain. The last coach to stay at Stamford Bridge for longer than about a year and a half was Antonio Conte (2016 to 2018), for two years.
‘From my conversations with the owners and the sporting leadership, it was clear that we share the same ambitions,’ Alonso emphasized. From July 1st, he will do everything he can to ensure that the risk he is taking in London pays off. The line between a brave decision and the wrong choice is a fine one.