Chelsea Finish 10th as Xabi Alonso Prepares to Start Rebuild

Reduced midweek fixtures should give incoming manager Xabi Alonso more training time to reshape a struggling squad.

Overview

Chelsea lost 2-1 at Sunderland on Sunday and finished the Premier League season in 10th place after Wesley Fofana was sent off late in the match.
Xabi Alonso is confirmed to take charge from July 1 and will begin a squad rebuild with a full preseason and the summer transfer window ahead of him.
The club endured a turbulent 2025/26 campaign that included the dismissals of Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior and a run of poor late-season results.
Former players and pundits including Wayne Rooney and Jason Cundy argue that missing European competition will cut midweek games and give Alonso more training time to install his ideas.
Observers point to Chelsea’s 2016/17 title season without European football as a precedent and say the key things to watch are Alonso’s use of extra training days and transfer moves to restore cohesion.