Former Real Madrid coach replaces Liam Rosenior at the end of a difficult season for the London-based club.
Published On 17 May 2026
Xabi Alonso has been appointed as Chelsea’s new manager, the Premier League club says, with the Spaniard signing a four-year deal that begins on July 1.
“Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in world football and it fills me with immense pride to become manager of this great club,” Alonso said in a statement on Sunday.
The former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen manager becomes the fifth permanent appointment under Chelsea’s BlueCo ownership, following Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior.
It marks a return to English football for Alonso, who made 210 appearances for Liverpool as a player before leaving for Real Madrid in 2009 and later ending his playing career with Bayern Munich in 2017.
“From my conversations with the ownership group and sporting leadership, it is clear we share the same ambition,” Alonso said after his appointment.
“We want to build a team capable of competing consistently at the highest level and fighting for trophies.
“There is great talent in the squad and huge potential at this football club and it will be my great honour to lead it. Now the focus is on hard work, building the right culture and winning trophies.”
Chelsea have endured a difficult season, slipping to ninth in the Premier League and facing a long-shot battle to qualify for European competition after losing the FA Cup final to Manchester City on Saturday.
“Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Xabi Alonso as manager of the men’s team,” Chelsea said in a statement.
Alonso sees ‘potential’ during turbulent times at Chelsea
After retiring as a player, Alonso began his coaching career with Real Madrid’s youth academy and later managed Real Sociedad’s reserve team.
He rose to prominence as a manager at Bayer Leverkusen, where he took charge in 2022 and guided the club to a historic unbeaten Bundesliga title in the 2023-2024 campaign along with the German Cup and a run to the Europa League final.
That success earned him a return to Real Madrid as head coach although his spell was reportedly affected by internal tensions, including clashes with several senior players, such as Federico Valverde and Vinicius Jr.
He was sacked by Real Madrid in January, less than eight months after taking charge.
As a player, the former Spain international made 236 appearances for Real Madrid from 2009 to 2014, winning La Liga, two Copa del Rey titles and the club’s 10th European Cup.
He also made 114 appearances for the national side, finishing his international career with a World Cup trophy and two European titles.
Chelsea began the season as FIFA Club World Cup champions but suffered poor form amid managerial upheaval and fan protests.
Chelsea have spent 1.8 billion pounds ($2.4bn) on signings since BlueCo took charge in 2022, but there has been little sign of consistent progress.
The fans group Not a Project staged a protest against the running of the club before Saturday’s Wembley showpiece.
It will now be Alonso’s task to try to mould a team capable of re-establishing themselves at the top of the Premier League.
“There is great talent in the squad and huge potential at this football club,” said Alonso, who had been linked with a possible return to Liverpool. “Now the focus is on hard work, building the right culture and winning trophies.”
Current caretaker manager Calum McFarlane will continue in his role until the end of the season with a home game against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Tuesday.
