Xabi Alonso has officially started work as Chelsea’s new head coach after arriving at the club’s training ground for the first time.
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The 44-year-old was appointed in May to succeed Liam Rosenior, but has now begun preparations for the new season as players not involved in this summer’s World Cup returned for pre-season training.
Chelsea will not play European football in 2026-27 after finishing 10th in the Premier League last season, during which the club was managed by Enzo Maresca, Rosenior and interim head coach Calum McFarlane.
Alonso has already had an influence on Chelsea’s summer transfer business. The Blues have signed full-back Marco Palestra, while winger Geovany Quenda was officially unveiled on Wednesday after completing his previously agreed move from Sporting CP.
The Spaniard also pushed for a reunion with Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka. Standard Sport previously reported that Chelsea had a bid rejected for the midfielder, who was understood to be keen on returning to London.
Among the players back at Cobham this week are Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill. Palmer was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the World Cup, while Colwill also missed selection despite returning strongly from a long-term ACL injury last season.
Alonso established himself as one of Europe’s leading young coaches during his time at Bayer Leverkusen, leading the German club to the first Bundesliga title in their history in 2023-24 while completing an unbeaten domestic campaign.
He joined Real Madrid in 2025 but left the club in January after defeat by Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup. During his time at the Santiago Bernabéu, Alonso guided Madrid to the Club World Cup semi-finals.
Chelsea begin a new chapter under Alonso with the aim of improving on last season’s disappointing league campaign.
