Chelsea 2026-27 preview: A new dawn (again) but Alonso’s new-look squad could be a major threat
A new season brings (yet another) new era for Chelsea under BlueCo’s latest appointment, Xabi Alonso.
The Spaniard’s arrival has lifted the gloom that collected over Stamford Bridge in the final weeks of a 2025-26 campaign, which ended in a 10th-place finish in the Premier League. So too has another busy summer of recruitment, headlined by the £117million (€137m; $157m) acquisition of Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa.
But after a pre-season spent largely touring Australia and Asia, how are they set for the new campaign? Let’s address some of the key questions…
What are the expectations inside the club?
Getting into next season’s Champions League is a must. In the four years since BlueCo bought the club, Chelsea have qualified for Europe’s elite club competition only once.
That is not acceptable, given the eye-watering level of investment in this squad, and operating in this manner will become more difficult every year that Chelsea lack the revenue that comes with regular Champions League participation.
There are reasons to hope for even better than that. A more restful summer for many core players, coupled with a significantly less taxing schedule, could give Chelsea a meaningful edge over their Premier League rivals. If Alonso builds positive momentum in the early weeks, this team could be dangerous to their rivals.
The domestic cups could also be enticing targets, but making sure they finish in the top four (or top five at worst, should the UEFA coefficient system be favourable) is paramount.
Who have they signed?
Rogers is the marquee name, but Chelsea have also added defenders Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace, Marco Palestra from Atalanta and Pep Chavarria from Rayo Vallecano, while winger Geovany Quenda finally completed his pre-agreed move from Sporting CP and Emmanuel Emegha and Valentin Barco have joined from Strasbourg, BlueCo’s sister club.
Rogers is Chelsea’s stand-out summer acquisition (Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
In a push to add more experience to what was the Premier League’s youngest squad, Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck were also unexpectedly recruited from Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion.
What is their transfer priority before the window closes?
Outgoings. Chelsea have already raised more than £140million from the sales of Marc Cucurella, Andrey Santos, Trevoh Chalobah and Tyrique George. Alejandro Garnacho joined Aston Villa on a loan deal that includes a very achievable conditional obligation to make it a permanent move next year. Napoli have also agreed a deal to sign Benoit Badiashile on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy. But there is much more work to do to offset transfer spending and trim the fringes of Alonso’s large first-team squad.
The list of names that range from “not untouchable” to “very available” is extensive, and includes Enzo Fernandez, Pedro Neto, Malo Gusto, Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap, Marc Guiu and Axel Disasi, while more youngsters need or could benefit from loans.
What else is new?
Alonso! Chelsea have a manager rather than a head coach for the first time under BlueCo, which has meaningfully shifted the dynamic within the club’s sporting leadership structure. He has also brought four coaches with him to Stamford Bridge: assistants Sebas Parrilla, Alberto Encinas and Benat Labaien, along with fitness coach Ismael Camenforte Lopez.
Another distinctive new face in Chelsea’s reshuffled backroom team is Austin MacPhee, the highly-regarded set-piece guru recruited from Villa this summer. Bernardo Cueva, the previous incumbent, has moved into a new role as the club’s technical analyst.
What’s the biggest lesson they learned last season?
That their team was too young, too emotionally unstable and too physically as well as mentally weak. Plus they had a head coach without real authority who could not fix those things. Alonso brings real aura and pedigree, Henderson and Welbeck can provide some maturity in the squad, while Rogers, Lacroix, Palestra, Quenda and Emegha all offer greater physicality.
Who’s been the best player in pre-season?
With so much rotation between games, this isn’t entirely clear-cut, but Joao Pedro has built upon being Chelsea’s player of the season in 2025-26 with a hat-trick against Western Sydney Wanderers in Sydney, two goals in a 3-0 win over Milan in Jakarta, and two against Real Sociedad.
Joao Pedro has been in fine pre-season form (Matt King/Getty Images)
What are they worried about?
Everyone seems pretty happy and relaxed right now, but that could change very quickly if the key signings don’t hit the ground running, Alonso’s ideas take time to bed in and Chelsea give themselves a deficit to overcome with a poor start in the Premier League.
How’s the manager feeling?
Alonso has exuded quiet confidence and authority in these early weeks in the Chelsea job.
In an interview with a group of journalists including The Athletic on the club’s pre-season tour, he also said that he used his short break from coaching to reflect on what went wrong at Real Madrid last season and is confident that it will make him a better manager at Stamford Bridge.
Xabi Alonso says he took time to reflect on how he can be a better manager at Chelsea (May James/AFP via Getty Images)
“Looking back, I take the positives and the things that didn’t work,” he said. “I have been very critical of myself, thinking about what I could have done better because it did not go as expected… you learn from the disappointment of things that were not meant to be and you try to think that things will be better.”
What’s the percentage chance of Alonso seeing out the season?
Ah, the most dangerous question of every Chelsea season preview…
You really never know, but let’s go for 95 per cent. BlueCo really, really need Alonso to work and if he’s gone before next May, it’s likely to be a clear sign that the whole project is in big trouble. Circumstances also appear much more favourable than last summer, when winning the FIFA Club World Cup came at the considerable cost of Chelsea’s pre-season preparations.
I wouldn’t be surprised if…
Mike Penders, the 21-year-old who spent last season on loan at Strasbourg, is Chelsea’s No 1 goalkeeper by the turn of the year.
What is their strongest XI?
So many new faces (plus the possibility of more big transfer action if Fernandez leaves) makes this particularly difficult, but Alonso might gravitate towards this early in the season:
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; James, Lacroix, Colwill, Palestra; Caicedo, Fernandez; Estevao, Palmer, Rogers; Joao Pedro.