The Spaniard steps into his new role following the dismissal of Liam Rosenior.
Xabi Alonso has officially arrived at Cobham to commence his duties as Chelsea’s new manager.
The former Real Madrid coach was appointed in May to replace the outgoing Liam Rosenior, but he has only now begun his managerial stint at Stamford Bridge.
Alonso was seen arriving at Chelsea’s training complex on Thursday morning as players who were not part of the World Cup squads returned for pre-season training.
The Blues will not feature in any European competitions this season after finishing 10th in the Premier League under a combination of Enzo Maresca, Rosenior, and interim coach Calum McFarlane.
Alonso has already played a key role in Chelsea’s transfer activity this year. The west London club have secured the signing of full-back Marco Pelastra, while Geovany Quenda — whose move was agreed before Alonso’s appointment — officially completed his transfer from Sporting CP on Wednesday.
The former Bayer Leverkusen head coach has also expressed interest in reuniting with Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka. According to Standard Sport, Chelsea had a bid turned down for the Swiss international, previously of Arsenal, who was reportedly eager to return to London from Wearside.
Among those reporting back to Cobham for pre-season are Cole Palmer, who was controversially left out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the summer World Cup, and Levi Colwill, who also missed selection despite a strong return from a lengthy ACL injury.
At Leverkusen, Alonso was renowned for his 3-4-2-1 tactical formation, guiding the Bundesliga side to their first-ever league title in the 2023–24 season. Die Werkself also went unbeaten in domestic competitions throughout that campaign.
He later took charge of Real Madrid — where he had played between 2009 and 2014 — assuming the managerial position at the Santiago Bernabéu in 2025.
During his time in Madrid, he led the team to the semi-finals of the Club World Cup but was dismissed in January following a Super Cup defeat against Barcelona.
