Following his high-profile departure from Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso is stepping into another club fraught with challenges at FC Chelsea. Is this a bold decision or a mission impossible?
On Sunday, FC Chelsea officially confirmed what had been increasingly rumored in the preceding days: Xabi Alonso will become the new manager for the Blues starting next season. Many likely reacted with a question: Why is he putting himself through this? Even if he weren’t coming from a highly complicated and notoriously turbulent tenure at Real Madrid, why Chelsea, of all clubs? Why jump immediately to another troubled club with chaotic potential?
Beyond the undoubtedly substantial salary outlined in Alonso’s four-year contract until 2030, a subtle detail in Chelsea’s official announcement hints at what might have been on Alonso’s list of demands. While the English top club introduced his immediate predecessors, Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior, as ‘Head Coach,’ Chelsea referred to Alonso as ‘Manager.’ This seemingly minor distinction could hold significant implications for his day-to-day responsibilities.
As ‘Manager,’ Alonso possesses greater authority over squad composition and transfer policy than the ‘Head Coaches’ before him. Reports suggest that the Spaniard himself did not necessarily push for this, but rather it stems from a strategic shift within BlueCo, the consortium that acquired Chelsea in 2022. For Alonso, this means that by not only coaching but also taking on sporting director duties, he can exert a stronger and more sustainable influence on the club’s future. This provides an argument for Chelsea potentially showing more patience with him compared to his predecessors, allowing for the gradual development of a truly formidable team.
Maresca, who arrived in the summer of 2024 with considerable expectations, ultimately did not receive this patience from Chelsea’s owners. The Italian was indeed building something, guiding Chelsea back to the Champions League after a two-year absence with a fourth-place finish last season, winning the Club World Cup last summer, and finding the Blues in fifth place in the Premier League at the turn of 2025-2026, a position that is now out of reach.
Xabi Alonso Faced Similar Challenges at Real Madrid as His Predecessor at Chelsea
Despite this, Maresca had to depart. Just over four months ago, Chelsea once again prepared for a new, ideally long-term project. They brought in Liam Rosenior from Racing Strasbourg, also owned by BlueCo, who had been very successful in France, to replace Maresca in London in early January. «This is a club with a unique spirit and a proud history of winning trophies. 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, Rosenior was unable to build a team, which is now Alonso’s task. The 41-year-old lasted only three and a half months. After a decent start, the first spiral of negative results marked his end. Following seven defeats in the previous eight competitive matches, Chelsea pulled the plug at the end of April and dismissed Rosenior, who even had a contract until 2032. The English coach’s downfall was likely due in part to his inability to win over some of the high-profile players, with reports suggesting the dressing room did not always take him seriously.
This serves as a warning sign for Alonso, whose failure at Real Madrid reportedly stemmed from similar reasons. After a highly successful spell at Bayer Leverkusen, the 44-year-old moved to the Bernabéu last summer, one of his former clubs as a player. Alonso was expected to usher in an era at Real, but he ultimately lasted just over six months. Months before his dismissal, media reports began to proliferate claiming that many of Real’s star players were not receptive to his methods. Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham, and others reportedly did not follow Alonso’s lead, despite his legendary status. The interpersonal rifts increasingly undermined the prospect of sustained sporting success, with Alonso allegedly labeling his team a ‘kindergarten’ due to constant friction.
Does a similar fate await him at Chelsea? Rosenior’s alleged experiences suggest so. However, the Blues are apparently banking on Alonso’s aura, which, due to his reputation as a player and his title-winning success at Leverkusen, is considerably more commanding 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 closely monitoring Alonso for four years speaks to their confidence in his abilities. With his remarkable achievements at Leverkusen, he became the absolute desired coach at Stamford Bridge, whom they could finally secure.
Will Xabi Alonso Maximize Chelsea’s Potential?
Another factor that makes Alonso’s belief in Chelsea’s potential understandable is the undeniable quality present. With Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo, the Blues boast two of the world’s best central midfielders, and with Cole Palmer, one of the most capable creative players. Add to this several exciting top talents like Estêvão and Jamie Gittens in attack, and Jorrel Hato in defense. There’s also a center-back like Levi Colwill, who was on the path to world-class status 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 highest level in England and Europe. Certainly, adjustments will be needed, such as the long-overdue signing of an absolute top goalkeeper and ensuring João Pedro receives more support up front to become an even more reliable goalscorer.
Alonso must have thoroughly assessed the situation at Chelsea before agreeing to the mammoth task. After all, given the developments surrounding Arne Slot, the managerial position at Liverpool might have become available in the foreseeable future. At Anfield, where he became an icon as a player, and where one of the three clubs (Real Madrid, FC Bayern, FC Liverpool) he identified as dream destinations after leaving Leverkusen is located. Perhaps the debacle at Real prompted Alonso to reconsider and deliberately choose a club with which he has no prior history, and where the stakes, at least from a personal perspective, are not quite as precarious.
Viewed objectively, the bold move to sign with Chelsea certainly presents a certain risk for the former world-class midfielder’s coaching career, which began so resoundingly. If Alonso falters at his 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 given the immense challenges at Chelsea.
Xabi Alonso at FC Chelsea: Walking a Tightrope
The bloated squad of the English club, with numerous oversized contracts, lacks structure, and the personnel seems almost arbitrarily assembled at times. 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 incorporate a bit more experience alongside the youthful exuberance. It’s no coincidence that reports suggest Alonso’s primary focus in his first summer transfer window is to bring in players with strong mental fortitude.
He famously has the financial means available at Chelsea to undertake a large-scale squad overhaul. The Blues, in turn, likely want to leverage their new manager’s name in the transfer market, explicitly enticing sought-after players with the development opportunities that working with Alonso can offer their careers. With the current tenth-placed team not participating in the Champions League next season, and potentially not even in European competition, this will become even more crucial.
The question remains to what extent Chelsea’s bosses will actually show patience in reality if the plan with Alonso does not immediately succeed as desired, which is to be expected, and if foreseeable dips occur. Will the Spaniard truly be given the necessary time, unlike Maresca or Rosenior? Since Thomas Tuchel’s departure just over three and a half years ago, Chelsea has gone through five managers. Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, and Rosenior all tried their luck in vain. The last coach to stay at Stamford Bridge for longer than about a year and a half was Antonio Conte (2016-2018), who lasted 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 possible to ensure that the risk he is taking in London pays off. The line between a bold decision and the wrong choice is indeed a thin one.