Chelsea plan to bounce back from their turbulent 2025-26 Premier League campaign, having finished 10th in the English top-flight standings with 52 points, with the likes of Bournemouth, Sunderland, and Brentford doing better than them. For most Blues supporters, this is unacceptable, so Xabi Alonso will have his work cut out.
Alonso took the Chelsea head coaching job after the club sacked Liam Rosenior this summer, and the former Bayer Leverkusen manager faces the unenviable task of guiding the Blues back to the top. He will personally use this opportunity to redeem himself after his unceremonious exit at Real Madrid last term.
The preseason Premier League 2026 odds don’t expect them to challenge for the title this upcoming season. However, clinching a European football spot will be their main objective. On paper, they have a squad that can do this, but they’ll need some luck along the way.
Here’s an SBOTOP preview for the Blues ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
Coaching instability ruined their campaign
Chelsea haven’t been the same since Todd Boehly replaced Roman Abramovich. Under Abramovich, the Blues were mostly prudent with their football operations, especially with Marina Granovskaia calling the shots. But the same can’t be said for Boehly, who has been known for being impulsive or rash.
Since Boehly took over Chelsea in 2022, they have had seven head coaches before Xabi Alonso. Chelsea have had the most success in the Boehly era under then-head coach Enzo Maresca, winning the 2025 Europa Conference League and the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. However, the Italian tactician eventually stepped down last January, citing his fractured relationship with the ownership group. Since then, Maresca has joined Manchester City, replacing Pep Guardiola.
With Maresca out, Chelsea went with Liam Rosenior, who signed a five-and-a-half-year deal after arriving from Strasbourg (a sister club of Chelsea). However, Rosenior looked out of his depth coaching the Blues. After registering just 11 wins in 23 matches across all competitions, including five consecutive league defeats without scoring (their worst scoreless run since 1912), Rosenior soon became unemployed.
Marco Silva, Andoni Iraola, and Edin Terzic were under consideration as replacements for Rosenior, but Chelsea ultimately went with Xabi Alonso, who was also out of a job. Alonso signed a four-year deal earlier this month.
Chelsea plan to address their squad imbalance
Chelsea’s 2025-26 Premier League campaign went south because their defence has declined considerably, and their offence couldn’t pick up the slack. Injuries didn’t help their cause either, especially to Cole Palmer, who had a lingering groin problem and a fractured small toe after a freak accident.
The Blues recorded 58 goals but conceded 52. During Liam Rosenior’s tenure, Chelsea couldn’t buy a clean sheet in 12 league games, and they conceded 11 goals from corner kicks. Joao Pedro was their brightest spot last season, as he led the team with 15 goals and five assists. Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer had 10 goals each, while Pedro Neto was their top playmaker with six assists.
This summer, Chelsea have seen a considerable roster turnover, acquiring Denner, Emmanuel Emegha, Geovany Quenda, Marco Palestra, Maxence Lacroix, and Morgan Rogers while parting ways with Tyrique George, Marc Cucurella, Andrey Santos, and Alejandro Garnacho. The Blues are also keen on adding more veterans, with Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson as their reported preferred options.
In his first competitive match in charge of the Blues, Xabi Alonso produced a 6-4 club friendly victory over Western Sydney Wanderers. Joao Pedro scored a hat-trick, while Dastan Satpayev, Dario Essugo, and Jamie Gittens were also on the scoresheet. While Chelsea would’ve preferred a lower-scoring game for the win, it’s about building fitness, experimenting with different lineups, and giving their youngsters a run, which they achieved.
Chelsea must adopt a long-term approach
Besides getting enough positive Premier League 2026 results, Chelsea must also adopt a long-term approach in rebuilding their squad. It starts with sticking with Xabi Alonso as their head coach, even if they’ll experience some growing pains along the way.
The last time a club stuck with Alonso, Bayer Leverkusen won their first Bundesliga, momentarily ending Bayern Munich’s ruthless reign in Germany. And since he left, Die Werkself haven’t been the same and are now under their third head coach in the past 12 months.
Perhaps Chelsea should look at their North West London derby rivals Arsenal, who stuck with Mikel Arteta through thick and thin. The Gunners’ patience was ultimately rewarded with a Premier League title and are the favourites to win it again this upcoming season.
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