Chelsea appoint Xabi Alonso as manager for 2026-27 season

Chelsea have named Xabi Alonso their manager for the 2026-27 season, per BBC Sport. The former Liverpool midfielder led Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten domestic double — Bundesliga and German Cup — in 2023-24. He inherits a squad reshaped by a club-record £117m signing of Morgan Rogers plus arrivals including Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck.