Xabi Alonso officially appointed as new Chelsea head coach..

Chelsea announced on their official website on Sunday that former Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso has been officially appointed as the club's new head coach.

According to Chelsea's official statement, Alonso has signed on a long-term four-year deal with the club which runs until the summer of 2031 and will officially take over on July 1st.

Furthermore, according to additional report from The Athletic, despite the widespread rumours online, Liverpool have never had any approach with Alonso in the past few months.

The Reds' management has consistently maintained that their precarious position as Dutch head coach Arne Slot remains their trustworthy choice.

After completing his transfer, Alonso, in his first interview with Chelsea's official website, said: "Chelsea is one of the greatest clubs in world football, and I am incredibly proud to manage such a great club."

"Through discussions with the club's owners and sporting management, I clearly feel that we share a common ambition. We want to build a team that can consistently compete and win trophies at the highest level."

"The team is full of talent, and the club has enormous potential. It is an honor to manage this team. Now, our focus is on training hard, building the right team culture, and winning trophies."

About Xabi Alonso

The 44-year-old Alonso was born on November 25, 1981, in Tolosa, Basque Country, Spain. He is 1.83 meters tall and played as a defensive midfielder during his playing career. He is a former legendary Spain international player at Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid, and also played for Real Sociedad and Eibar. His father, Perico, and brother, Mikel, are also former professional footballers, and his younger brother, Jon, is a professional referee.

In June 2019, after retiring for two years, Alonso returned to his former club, Real Sociedad, as head coach of their B team.

During his two-year spell at Txuri Urdin, Alonso's potential attracted interest from Borussia Mönchengladbach, but he declined the offer.

In October 2022, Alonso replaced Gerardo Seoane as the new head coach of Bayer Leverkusen.

During his two-and-a-half-year spell at Leverkusen, Alonso helped the Die Werkself win the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal title once each undefeated, and even led the team to the Europa League final.

This impressive performances attracted the attention of his former clubs Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and Real Madrid.

In the summer of 2025, Alonso succeeded Italian head coach Carlo Ancelotti as the new head coach of Real Madrid.

However, due to poor player discipline and internal power struggles, Alonso was sacked in January 2026 after completely losing control of the dressing room.

Image source: Internet / Chelsea official website