Xabi Alonso Reportedly Reaches Agreement to Coach Chelsea for 4 Seasons

Jakarta – The mystery surrounding Chelsea's next permanent head coach is slowly unravelling. The Spanish tactician Xabi Alonso is reported to have reached a formal agreement to take charge of The Blues on a four-year contract term.

According to The Athletic's report published Saturday 16/7/2026, official confirmation of the 44-year-old manager's appointment is expected to be announced imminently. Alonso was even recorded to have travelled to London early last week to finalise negotiation proceedings with the club's management.

Chelsea had already targeted the former Liverpool midfielder as their number one priority from the very start of the managerial search. This interest is mutual, with Alonso understood to be eager to take on the challenge of restoring glory to the Stamford Bridge side.

Prior to landing on Alonso, Chelsea board had also shortlisted other candidates including former Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola for the vacant position left vacant following Liam Rosenior's departure.

As widely reported, Chelsea is currently navigating a difficult transitional period. The club officially parted ways with Rosenior on 23 April, after The Blues suffered a demoralising run of five consecutive defeats in the English Premier League. While awaiting Alonso's formal takeover, the head coach position is currently being held on an interim basis by Calum McFarlane until the conclusion of the 2025/2026 Season.

This agreement marks a major career milestone for Alonso, as well as his return to English Football after spending five seasons as a player at Liverpool.

Alonso is currently unattached as a Free agent, following his surprise dismissal from Real Madrid earlier this January. He only remained at the Santiago Bernabeu for seven months, despite originally signing a three year contract with the club.

Despite his short spell in Madrid, Alonso holds an elite managerial reputation built from his historic breakthrough success at Bayer Leverkusen. During the 2023/2024 campaign, he guided Leverkusen to their first ever Bundesliga Title in the entire Club History - achieving the unprecedented sensational record of going completely undefeated across all domestic competitions that season.