Last weekend, Chelsea confirmed the appointment of highly rated manager Xabi Alonso as their new manager starting on the 1st of July 2026, ahead of the new season. 

The Spaniard did an incredible job with German side Bayer Leverkusen, taking them from just above the relegation spots to invincible champions within 18 months of taking over. 

He then left for Real Madrid, the club he had spent five years at as a player. However, things did not work out, and he was sacked in January of this year after just half a season in charge. 

Now, for seemingly the first time since leaving the club, and certainly for the first time since joining Chelsea, he has spoken to the media. Indeed, the 44-year-old had a few words for the Spanish media outlet, El Chiringuito. 

First of all, he was simply asked about taking over in SW6, to which he responded: "I'm excited and ready to get to work. It's a beautiful project." Then Alonso was asked about other clubs wanting Chelsea players, with Enzo Fernandez, Marc Cucurella and Joao Pedro all linked with moves. 

In a diplomatic and professional way, the manager said, "This is football; we're going to make a good team." 

So, pretty brief, and no bombshells or anything like that, as you would expect. But it is nice to hear from him so shortly after his appointment. Most of the media work he will do won't happen until he officially starts at the beginning of July. Perhaps the occasional snip it before then, but in terms of sit-down interviews, etc, it will probably be in July. 

There is so much excitement from Chelsea fans regarding Alonso. It has not been forgotten just how good a job he did at Leverkusen. There are very few people concerned about what happened at Real Madrid, especially as they got even worse after his departure in the winter. 

It will be interesting to see if he is at the Stadium of Light on Sunday afternoon for the team's 38th and final game of the 25/26 Premier League season. My hunch would be probably not. He seems like the type of character who doesn't want to get in the way. He probably has too much respect for Calum McFarlane and his team. 

You never know, and it would be pretty cool if he were there, but it feels less likely. Let's see. 

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