New Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso has admitted that the short time he spent at Real Madrid has been a nightmare and he will now put it behind him as he enters a new era at Stamford Bridge.
lonso was initially hailed as a huge success after his stint with Bayer Leverkusen and was greeted with great expectations in Madrid. But his stay was only for eight months before the Spanish giants decided to make a change.
Alonso opens up on Real Madrid disappointment
Alonso signed for Real Madrid in June 2025, helping Leverkusen to go unbeaten in the domestic double last season.
Although he had won 24 out of 34 games in charge, the former Spain international was sacked in January when Madrid were four points behind Barcelona in La Liga.
A defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup had also increased pressure on the manager, while reports of tension involving several key players added to the difficult atmosphere surrounding the club.
The manager had been under pressure since Barcelona’s Spanish Super Cup defeat and some rumour of a few clashes with some of the key players made it an even tougher situation at the club.
In the aftermath of the incident, Alonso acknowledges that it was a challenging time but feels he has gained from it.
I received a scar and it has healed, and I’m going to enjoy this next step,
Chelsea offer Alonso a fresh start
Now the Spaniard has the opportunity to redeem himself in the Premier League, 17 years after he left England as a Liverpool player.
Chelsea, who had two managerial changes last season, saw Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior both leave, finish 10th in the Premier League.
The Blues have also been inconsistent in their recent form, with a lack of consistency in the last four seasons, with just three of them finishing in the top four.
Alonso, however, feels the situation at Stamford Bridge is much better than it looked from the outside.
Chelsea back Alonso in the transfer market
The club’s ownership has already been generous in their support and Chelsea have made a number of moves this summer to bolster Alonso’s team.
One of the largest transactions so far has been the reported British record £117 million transfer of Morgan Rogers, which has been a part of the club’s efforts to create a team that can be a threat at the highest level.
Alonso feels the recruitment plan is in line with his vision for the team.
There’s a lot of room for improvement and let’s see how long it takes, Alonso explained.
The Chelsea coach also highlighted the need to have the right balance of experience and youth in his team.
Alonso ready for new Premier League challenge
Alonso’s stats since the beginning of the 2022/23 season reveal why he was in the Chelsea’s sights as his club has secured an average of 2.2 points per game in the top five leagues of Europe.
Luis Enrique and Carlo Ancelotti are the only two managers to have better averages in the same period.
The Spaniard now has the opportunity to take that success to English football.
Chelsea will be continuing pre-season against Juventus in Hong Kong with more games to be played against AC Milan, Johor Darul Ta’zim and Real Sociedad.
Then it will be back to business as usual for the Blues as they travel to Fulham on August 24, where Alonso will be given his first opportunity to prove the lessons he has learned in Madrid have made him a better manager.
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