Xabi Alonso Brings Back Chelsea’s Mourinho-Era Romance
Xabi Alonso has officially taken charge of Chelsea after leaving Real Madrid following a turbulent spell marked by tensions inside the dressing room. His move bears similarities to Jose Mourinho’s own journey. The Special One also returned to west London after leaving Madrid, although Mourinho was entering his second spell at Chelsea while Alonso is only beginning his Premier League adventure.
Alonso is, by all accounts, a young manager with an impressive reputation. He enjoyed a remarkable double-winning campaign with Bayer Leverkusen in 2023/24, lifting both the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal. The league title was particularly historic, as Leverkusen went the entire Bundesliga season unbeaten.
That remarkable achievement prompted Real Madrid to bring Alonso back to the club as Carlo Ancelotti’s successor. Expectations were high, with hopes that he could restore Madrid’s dominance in LaLiga despite Barcelona’s strength under Hansi Flick. There was also an expectation that Alonso would introduce a different style of football at the Santiago Bernabeu.
During his spell in charge, Alonso recorded 24 victories in 34 matches across all competitions, giving him a win rate in the 70 per cent range. On the pitch, the numbers appeared encouraging. Behind the scenes, however, tensions began to emerge within the dressing room, with the squad reportedly divided between those who backed the Spanish coach and those who wanted him to leave.
The situation reached its breaking point when Madrid were beaten by Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in January. Alonso stepped down just seven months after being appointed, bringing his project at the club to an abrupt end.
After being linked with several clubs, including his former side Liverpool, Alonso eventually settled on Chelsea.
His arrival in west London bears some resemblance to Mourinho’s own return to Stamford Bridge. The Portuguese coach also returned to Chelsea after his time at Real Madrid. More importantly, Alonso appears to be following a similar strategy by bringing experienced figures into the Blues’ ecosystem.
During the 2014/15 season, Mourinho brought Didier Drogba back to Stamford Bridge. The Ivorian did not return to play regularly or replicate the goalscoring impact of his first spell, which began in 2004. Instead, he was brought back to provide leadership in the dressing room and help restore the team’s mentality after Chelsea failed to win the Premier League title in 2013/14.
The impact was clear. Following Drogba’s return, Chelsea went on to win the Premier League the following season. The Ivorian was widely regarded as an influential figure capable of strengthening the dressing room.
Now, Alonso appears to be attempting something similar ahead of his first Premier League season at Chelsea. This time, however, he has brought in not one but two experienced names.
The Blues failed to qualify for any European competition last season and will therefore head into the 2026/27 campaign with their domestic commitments as the main focus. The squad, owned by BluCo, is also relatively young, with an average age of just 23.6 years.
That makes experienced players with strong winning backgrounds particularly important in helping support the development of the team.
This summer, Chelsea secured the arrivals of Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck. The latter joined from Brighton for a reported £5 million fee. Their arrivals have also been welcomed by Chelsea legend Gary Cahill, who believes both players can make a difference to the squad.
“They are great people and professionals. They have always been able to get the best out of themselves and are still capable of performing at the highest level at their age. I think they will bring their quality and experience. Young players need to watch them train and learn from them. That is what I did when I was a young player and it helped my development,” Cahill said on the club’s official website.
The arrival of those two experienced players, of course, does not automatically make Chelsea title favourites for the new season. Several of their rivals are also strengthening their squads, including Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool, while even struggling giants such as Tottenham Hotspur are working to rebuild.
At the very least, the arrival of Henderson and Welbeck could help Alonso shape his young squad and build a team capable of competing for major honours.
Unlike at Madrid, Alonso appears to have a dressing room that can still be managed and moulded around his ideas. For the Spaniard, Chelsea could also represent his last major opportunity to prove himself as the man capable of managing a European giant.
