Chelsea 2026/27 Preview: Xabi Alonso’s Reign Really Begins

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·19 August 2026

Chelsea 2026/27 Preview: Xabi Alonso’s Reign Really Begins

Xabi Alonso is back in the Premier League, but not at the team many expected. Indeed, the early rumors had the Spaniard returning to Liverpool. Instead, Chelsea became the beneficiaries of Alonso’s stay with Real Madrid being cut short and the fans will be hoping he can work his magic on them.

During his spell with Bayer Leverkusen, Alonso took over a club who were sitting near the Bundesliga relegation places before guiding them to a domestic double within 18 months.

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The infrastructure, finances, players and table position are all bigger and better at Stamford Bridge. Might he repeat the trick in London?

Is Xabi Alonso the right man for Chelsea?

Alonso favoured a 3-4-2-1 system during his spell with Leverkusen, but he has reverted to a more fluid 3-4-3 formation throughout pre-season with the Blues. With attacking players at his disposal such as Cole Palmer, Jamie Gittens, Pedro Neto, Estêvão and Morgan Rogers, to name just a few, Alonso will want to unleash an attacking three this term.

Like at Madrid, he will have plenty of egos to please, especially given the number of players currently on the books at the club.

Alonso knows what it is like to deliver success, however. From winning the World Cup and Champions League on the pitch, to making history with Leverkusen in the dugout, he is a born winner.

Enzo Maresca did win two trophies during his spell at Chelsea, but there are hopes that Alonso could be an ideal long-term manager (if there is such a thing these days) at Stamford Bridge, building an identity that will take the club back to the top.

The proof is in the pudding of course. Chelsea not participating in any European competition could be a blessing for Alonso like it was for Antonio Conte in 2016/17, giving him longer to install his methods during the campaign.

Chelsea continue to splash the cash

Does that come as a surprise? Absolutely not. Chelsea have already spent around $465m this summer on ten players and it doesn’t look as though Alonso is done there.

Rogers is the standout signing. He joins for a fee in the region of $157m, replacing Alejandro Garnacho, who moves to Aston Villa on loan.

Maxence Lacroix and Marco Palestra bolster the defence, while Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck add some experience to a squad which had the lowest average age in the Premier League last season.

Despite spending millions, Chelsea have recouped some of that money ($219.5m to be exact) by selling the likes of Andrey Santos, Marc Cucurella, Trevoh Chalobah and Tyrique George, with more outgoings expected in the next few weeks.

Breakthrough star: Estêvão

Some would argue that Estêvão’s breakthrough season came last year as he made 36 appearances for Chelsea, scoring eight times and registering four assists in all competitions.

The teenager only started 20 of those games, however, and a hamstring injury suffered during the second half of the season restricted his output. Indeed, he was even forced to miss the World Cup in what would have been a tournament that Estêvão would have shone at.

Under Alonso, the Brazilian should be given more opportunities in the starting XI. He scored against Tottenham in pre-season, but the winger started just one of Chelsea’s six friendly games this summer.

Allowing him to work back to peak fitness suggests why he didn’t start more games, but the youngster should be raring to go when the Premier League starts.

What constitutes a good season?

Chelsea supporters will look back to the 2016/17 season, where Conte took over and implemented a new system that eventually led to them winning the league title, as a benchmark for this campaign.

However, finishing in the top four is a much more realistic proposition. One that would see the Blues make a return to the Champions League.

Bedding in his new signings and getting the team to perform to his way of thinking might take time. No European football, however, suggests Alonso wont have excuses should things start to go wrong.

A fourth place finish and winning either the FA Cup or EFL Cup would certainly be a solid debut campaign at the Bridge for the Spaniard.