The cycle begins anew at Chelsea. While ambition and alignment serve as the club’s current buzzwords, Xabi Alonso faces the clear challenge of maintaining this positive momentum beyond next May—a difficult task inherent to his new role.

Alonso understands the ruthless nature of management, having experienced seven months at Real Madrid. He now joins a Chelsea club infamous for high turnover in the dugout. No Chelsea manager has remained at the club for longer than two years since Antonio Conte, who also delivered the club’s last Premier League title. Patience remains scarce at Stamford Bridge, where four managers have departed mid-season over the last five years.

Alonso arrives following a crisis-hit campaign that saw the team plummet to 10th place and miss out on European football entirely as squad discipline deteriorated. He must now build a culture capable of producing the results the ownership demands, though his long-term security remains uncertain.

“Time will tell,” Alonso said. “What I’m sure is that we have the ambition to win a lot of games, to be competitive. We need to take important decisions. We need to build strong principles and strong mentality and culture in the club. And time will tell.

“I’m not going to say what will happen in May. For me, it’s absolutely too early to say that, but I’m confident, I’m optimistic to think that we can have a great season.”

Chelsea’s acquisition of Alonso appears to be a major coup, as they have secured one of the most sought-after managers in the game. His tenure at Bayer Leverkusen was marked by remarkable success, as the team ended Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga dominance with an unbeaten run. Only a defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League final denied him an unbeaten treble.

Questions remain regarding what attracted Alonso to Chelsea, especially given the ongoing friction between the fanbase and BlueCo.

“I think that it was, when we started talking, it was a good moment, a good opportunity to come,” Alonso explained. “I don’t think that we are that far to creating a good team, to competing in any game and to win a lot of games. Honestly, I think that.

“For sure last year, some things happened. I positively think that we can do much better, change a few things for sure, updating and reinforcing in some positions.

“If we get the right balance and the right decisions, we can have a good season. I’m optimistic and really believe it. I don’t think that we need to change everything. It’s about changing a few things and that can work.”

Signs indicate that Chelsea will grant Alonso more authority than his predecessors. He joins as a manager rather than just a head coach, meaning he will be more involved in day-to-day club operations.

Alonso will play a key role in transfer policy alongside Chelsea’s five sporting directors. While the hierarchical structure has drawn criticism due to Chelsea’s mixed transfer results under BlueCo, Alonso describes the setup as harmonious.

“It works really well,” he said. “I have been in very close contact. We are all aligned on decisions, we analyse what we want, how we want to achieve it and once we determine this is the way, then we try to execute it. It’s not that different for me, because I feel involved in making the right decisions and we try to make it together.”

Alonso declined to comment on a potential reunion with Granit Xhaka, as Sunderland remains confident they can retain the player. “Regarding players that are not in the building and rumours, I know you love them, but it’s not right for me to comment on those things,” the Spaniard asserted. However, he acknowledged the need for recruitment, noting that Chelsea still needs to strengthen the squad.

Alonso remained guarded regarding specific transfer targets. As players like Enzo Fernandez and Alejandro Garnacho continue to be linked with departures, Alonso aims to have a competitive squad ready for the season start on 24 August.

With his first Premier League season in 18 years approaching, speculation had previously linked Alonso to his former club, Liverpool. Instead, Liverpool appointed fellow Basque coach Andoni Iraola. Both managers begin their tenures with ambitions to match the success of their countryman, Mikel Arteta.

“Mikel has become a great, great manager, and now they are the current champions,” Alonso said. “So it’s going to be a big challenge against him, against Unai [Emery], against Andoni. We are from the same region, so it’s quite special.”

While Alonso can draw inspiration from his childhood friend, he operates under a much stricter regime at Chelsea than Arteta does at Arsenal. No Chelsea owner since 2003 has accepted three consecutive second-place finishes without silverware; for instance, the club famously fired Carlo Ancelotti after one season, despite having won a league and cup double the year prior. Consequently, Alonso faces immediate pressure to succeed.