Xabi Alonso: Chelsea situation not as bad as it looked last season

Xabi Alonso says the scars he suffered during his brief spell at Real Madrid have healed. It allows him to fully focus on bringing Chelsea into the new season of the English League (Premier League).

The Spanish coach took over Los Blancos after a very successful spell at Bayer Leverkusen, but only lasted more than seven months at the Santiago Bernabeu and left after losing to Barcelona in the final of the Supercopa de Espana (Spanish Super Cup in January 2026).

His time at the club was marred by rumours of a feud with senior players, particularly Vinicius Junior.

"Fortunately, there are not too many scars in my career. So, okay, I got a scar, but it will heal."

"Now I'm healed. I'm very motivated and determined to enjoy the next step as I did when I started at Real Madrid."

"Looking back, I took the positives and the things that didn't work. I was very critical of myself, thinking about what I could have done better because it didn't go as expected."

"In terms of positives, there is a lot of experience, adaptations I have to do, some things that work and some things that don't work in terms of the game, in terms of player management. It's a mix of everything," said Alonso.

Alonso is now the man tasked with turning Chelsea around after the west London club endured a disastrous 2025/26 season, changing three different managers and finishing 10th in the Premier League - a position that means Alonso will not coach the Blues in Europe this season.

Nevertheless, the 44-year-old coach said he was optimistic about the club's chances this season.

"It has to be a lot of consideration. I see this is the right time for the club, the right time for me, a great opportunity."

"This is a team that has played very well lately and the situation is not as bad as it looked at the end of last season. There is great potential for improvement and let's see how long (it takes)," said Alonso.

Chelsea begin the English League season with a trip to the home of west London rivals Fulham on August 24, 2026.