⚽ Premier League 2025/2026 Discussion Thread ⚽

[barbara44]

Transfers made by a new manager is always a doubtful situation and not that easy. I understand the situation to be a bit difficult to handle, but not all the time because sometimes it's easy to handle and sometimes it's not. We should realize that things aren't always that easy to handle, and we need to make sure that we can do a fine job at the moment sometimes.

If we can handle this, then we are not going to worry about it, and we can make good transfers, but if Xabi ends up making wrong moves then he is going to be shooting himself in the foot and making it harder to climb back up from the 10th place they finished last season. So this transfer window is very important, Enzo seems to be leaving for a lot of money, they also have a lot of money, they should combine that and make a great team.

[Nheer]

If you knew that Vinicius was the one who made him leave Madrid, and that's something they said on El Chiringuito, and if they say it there it's because it's true, Mbappe supported Xabi, that's why he left. Now, at Chelsea it's different, it's a different kind of culture that the English have, that makes the respect for Xabi unique, that's why things will be wonderful now, besides, Xabi is very good, Chelsea will be a great, very competitive team.

I used to like Vinicius a bit before but since the incident of Xabi Alonso and his decision to leave I started disliking Vinicius and started to see who he truly is.
Xabi Alonso is a coach that will barely have a problem with his players, instead he always have a good relationship with his players because his time at Leverkusen he had a pretty good relationship with the players there.
Mbappe supported and it's best to leave the club. He got another at work at Chelsea already and as we all know Chelsea have talented players so it will be lot more easier for him to perform well at Chelsea. As a Chelsea fan I was sad when Maresca was sacked but got happy again when Alonso was appointed. He's good and I'm sure he will make Chelsea better again.

[Dzwaafu11]

You are right. Alonso seems to be good at developing young players. But these players have to be ready for the task ahead. The management too. It is not going to be an easy journey though and it’s the reason why Alonso needs to be strictly focused on the end goal which is to go for greatness. I also want him not to forget this is not Bundesliga or any other league, this is Premier League where the competition on the clubs are tighter and more competitive.

The Bundesliga is much easier than the Premier League, because even the bottom teams can put pressure on the top teams here, so it won't be easy for Xabi Alonso.
He is indeed one of the best coaches capable of developing the potential of young players, and what's needed is for Chelsea's management to give him time. If they hope for success in his first season, it might be a bit difficult.
Xabi Alonso must be given time by Chelsea's management if they want long-term success, as it requires adaptation and for players to accept the instructions he develops and usually it takes time to put these things together like he did at Leverkusen.

You are right.  The Premiere league competition is actually tough competition and even the weak team sometimes make things difficult for even the best club, and I think that's why many are saying Xabi Alonso need to be very active because this is a tough competiton. Chelsea is performing in a competitions that are tough especially the Premier league, and with the way Chelsea performance is Xabi Alonso must be given enough time if the Management want to see a good result.

they should not pressure him too much to give them trophy, because he actually need to arrange the squad the way he think will favor him and the fans all over the wold so is not an easy task.

[adultcrypto]

If you knew that Vinicius was the one who made him leave Madrid, and that's something they said on El Chiringuito, and if they say it there it's because it's true, Mbappe supported Xabi, that's why he left. Now, at Chelsea it's different, it's a different kind of culture that the English have, that makes the respect for Xabi unique, that's why things will be wonderful now, besides, Xabi is very good, Chelsea will be a great, very competitive team.

Xabi Alonso is a coach that will barely have a problem with his players, instead he always have a good relationship with his players because his time at Leverkusen he had a pretty good relationship with the players there.
Mbappe supported and it's best to leave the club. He got another at work at Chelsea already and as we all know Chelsea have talented players so it will be lot more easier for him to perform well at Chelsea. As a Chelsea fan I was sad when Maresca was sacked but got happy again when Alonso was appointed. He's good and I'm sure he will make Chelsea better again.

Xabi Alonso is bringing something something unique to Chelsea especially on the aspect of payer to coach relationship. He is one coach that knows how to bond with the players so I believe he will bring that to Cheslea as that is highly needed to revive that dying club. The incidence that happened at Real Madrid that lead to his exit are just unfortunate and it is a good thing he left the club because the expectations were just too much on him. I believe that his chances at Chelsea is higher because he is coming to revive a team so even if he does not win a trophy in his first year, it will be excused.

[pawel7777]

There are some further transfer news/rumours for Man United. Apparently they are desperate to strengthen their midfield and are making moves on some players.
They already agreed on a £35 million transfer of Ederson from Italian Atalanta and are also interested in acquiring Portugese Mateus Fernandes from relegated West Ham.
West Ham allegedly asks for £85 million for young Fernandes, who also attracted interest of other clubs, namely Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Tottenham.

To fund their purchases, Man United are looking to sell Manuel Ugarte, who might go to AC Milan and get reunited with Milan's new manager, Ruben Amorim.

It's good to see Michael Carrick is not afraid to make changes and is not trying to desperately cling to the squad that gave him success last season.

[whiteblue]

You are right.  The Premiere league competition is actually tough competition and even the weak team sometimes make things difficult for even the best club, and I think that's why many are saying Xabi Alonso need to be very active because this is a tough competiton. Chelsea is performing in a competitions that are tough especially the Premier league, and with the way Chelsea performance is Xabi Alonso must be given enough time if the Management want to see a good result.

they should not pressure him too much to give them trophy, because he actually need to arrange the squad the way he think will favor him and the fans all over the wold so is not an easy task.

The main task is to rebalance the team Performance to improve and improve under xabi alonso quidance. Last season, Chelsea performed poorly in the second halfof the season. and this season, big changes they have to make to bring change in their game
We iust have to wait and see how xabi Alonso organizes the squad and which plavers he selects for each starting eleven in each match Given that chelsea are less busy due to no other competition, they can focus on each Premier Leaque match.
There are many names on chelsea transfer list in this transfer window. I don't think thev made a blunder and are makina the right decision to reevaluate their squad to strengthen it by selling existing players and bringing in new ones.

[Plutomanian]

Xabi Alonso is bringing something something unique to Chelsea especially on the aspect of payer to coach relationship. He is one coach that knows how to bond with the players so I believe he will bring that to Cheslea as that is highly needed to revive that dying club. The incidence that happened at Real Madrid that lead to his exit are just unfortunate and it is a good thing he left the club because the expectations were just too much on him. I believe that his chances at Chelsea is higher because he is coming to revive a team so even if he does not win a trophy in his first year, it will be excused.

I believe Xabi Alonso is here to rebuild the club from scratch because most of the key players have exited Stamford Bridge and some are still keen on leaving, this is entirely a new project for Chelsea and I believe the club will work entirely to make sure they can come up with good players to replace their old ones. There's this thing called transition and Chelsea happen to be one of the EPL elite sides to pass this phase, it's going to be extremely tough but one thing is certain, Chelsea will bounce back and when they do, winning games will become much more easier, it won't just be about winning games but lifting major trophies with consecutive winnings.

[Amphenomenon]

Xabi Alonso is bringing something something unique to Chelsea especially on the aspect of payer to coach relationship. He is one coach that knows how to bond with the players so I believe he will bring that to Cheslea as that is highly needed to revive that dying club. The incidence that happened at Real Madrid that lead to his exit are just unfortunate and it is a good thing he left the club because the expectations were just too much on him. I believe that his chances at Chelsea is higher because he is coming to revive a team so even if he does not win a trophy in his first year, it will be excused.

Xabi Alonso knows are to build relationship with is team which is vital and there have been other managers who have done the same for Chelsea and the most recent was Enzo Maresca.
I hope he can build a structure and give an identity to team which will lack with our issues of consistency, hopefully the right players are bought and those who ought to be sold should be leaving. Our defense and attacks needs a serious rebuilding.

[slapper]

It will be very  difficult to bring Chelsea to the top 4 this season. Chelsea's overall condition is not strong. Their performance is inconsistent. Alonso will  probably make big changes to the squad. It will be difficult for chelsea to improve very quickly.

Chelsea needs to overhaul its roster by signing several quality players to build strong squad depth, so that Xabi can effectively improve the team’s performance. Chelsea’s current roster isn’t strong enough, and Xabi needs reinforcements to lead the team into the top four.

Signing new players is never a criteria that Chelsea will do perfectly well this coming season. As for restructuring there squad, they are not the first team to have done it and won't be the last to do it. All we should be talking about now is how to improve in consistency and perfection because that is the only thing needed from all teams.
Just as I was saying,  many teams have improved there squad by integrating new and higher experienced players but all never yield any positive results but when they brought in experienced manager even there worst players became productive to the team.  For now i think all they should be looking at is how to manage the once they have and not get more players into the team.

The talent is RIGHT THERE. Palmer is one of the most lethal creative players in Europe. Joao Pedro was putting away goals consistently all season. The issue was that Rosenior only lasted for 106 days. Before him, Maresca walked out on New Year's Day due to his reputation of being unable to get along with the board. Prior to that, Pochettino, prior to that Potter... Six managers in four years? When do we give up on blaming the players.

And Chelsea's Spanish-speaking players basically staged a quiet revolt. Fernandez got suspended for openly flirting with Madrid in interviews. Cucurella made it clear he wanted Maresca back. You cannot coach a team that does not want to be coached by you. Regardless of your quantity of signings.

[alankasman]

Xabi Alonso is bringing something something unique to Chelsea especially on the aspect of payer to coach relationship. He is one coach that knows how to bond with the players so I believe he will bring that to Cheslea as that is highly needed to revive that dying club. The incidence that happened at Real Madrid that lead to his exit are just unfortunate and it is a good thing he left the club because the expectations were just too much on him. I believe that his chances at Chelsea is higher because he is coming to revive a team so even if he does not win a trophy in his first year, it will be excused.

Xabi Alonso knows are to build relationship with is team which is vital and there have been other managers who have done the same for Chelsea and the most recent was Enzo Maresca.
I hope he can build a structure and give an identity to team which will lack with our issues of consistency, hopefully the right players are bought and those who ought to be sold should be leaving. Our defense and attacks needs a serious rebuilding.

Xabi Alonso will always give his best to the teams he coaches as he did when managing Real Madrid and Bayern Leverkusen. However this will also be the case for Xabi Alonso when managing Chelsea next season. Moreover I've seen reports that several players will be their newest recruits and these are the players Xabi wants to bring to the team next season which according to statistics will be even fiercer in the Premier League competition than last season.

I also think Xabi Alonso has a pretty good style in managing the teams he coaches but the question is why at Real Madrid he only became the main coach for a short time if he is a good coach this is an example of a question.
Every coach after receiving an increase to coach a team there are main things they need one of which is time and trust that must be given by management. Because if the time is very short for example, a year having the option to win it is difficult to provide that in the first season especially this is their desire from Chelsea management for Xabi Alonso to be able to give the best and be able to build a structure and identity for the team. So how can a coach do it when the time given is sometimes one year is very impossible so I hope that Chelsea management will be better at giving Xabi Alonso time and trust so that the desired wishes can be realized by the former Liverpool player.

[Velvet78]

Alejandro Grimaldo signed for Atletico Madrid while I was expecting Xabi Alonso to go for him...    Why didn't he want him especially after Cucurella left?

Or maybe he did but Chelsea owners didn't start taking action in time. It was a really great opportunity for Chelsea actually. Now I wonder who their target will be. I trust Xabi Alonso with selecting the right man for LB position.

[MarjorieZimmermanGinger]

Xabi Alonso knows are to build relationship with is team which is vital and there have been other managers who have done the same for Chelsea and the most recent was Enzo Maresca.
I hope he can build a structure and give an identity to team which will lack with our issues of consistency, hopefully the right players are bought and those who ought to be sold should be leaving. Our defense and attacks needs a serious rebuilding.

That's why Xabi Alonso needs to be given a chance and hopefully, Chelsea management won't demand immediate success from him in his first season. I'm sure there's a lot to build on and how to integrate the players to achieve their best. Likewise, regarding the players who will be bought and those who should be released and when Xabi Alonso can make adjustments to the team's needs, Chelsea will gradually improve next season. Xabi Alonso is the typical coach who has the ability to develop a team well, but everything takes time and this is something Chelsea management must consider.

[Stormisover]

Transfers made by a new manager is always a doubtful situation and not that easy. I understand the situation to be a bit difficult to handle, but not all the time because sometimes it's easy to handle and sometimes it's not. We should realize that things aren't always that easy to handle, and we need to make sure that we can do a fine job at the moment sometimes.

If we can handle this, then we are not going to worry about it, and we can make good transfers, but if Xabi ends up making wrong moves then he is going to be shooting himself in the foot and making it harder to climb back up from the 10th place they finished last season. So this transfer window is very important, Enzo seems to be leaving for a lot of money, they also have a lot of money, they should combine that and make a great team.

First Xabi Alonso is not too familiar with this league, and it will only take his grace for Chelsea to get back to the competition, so anyone expecting an instant results from him will be making a huge mistake, he should at least be given the time to study the league, know in and out of it then you will watch him perform wonders I trust him on that, besides even the Bayern Leverkusen that he won the Germain Bundesliga with, at least he didn't just won it immediately he moved in the club, so he should be given time to set things.

[Nightwatchmare]

Chelsea suffered a lot for sacking maresca. They didn't give the coach time to build a formidable, they were impatient because they wanted a quick results. If maresca was allowed to finish last season,I believe Chelsea could have finished top five on the standings.

Enzo Maresca was at Chelsea from June 2024 to January 2026, which was enough time. Now look at Manchester United: Michael Carrick joined Manchester United as manager on January 13, 2026, and by the end of the season he had them finish third in the Premier League. This proved that it doesn't take many years for a new manager to show good results. Michael Carrick didn't spend much money on new signings, while Enzo Maresca had a whole year, had money available for new signings, and still failed in the Premier League with Chelsea.

From June 2024 to January 2026 that is 2 years, i agree it was enough time for Enzo Maresca to build amazing team and know the best strategy that will be okay for him to meet the demands of Chelsea board and fans but he failed, which i think Chelsea board was right to let him leave. Even if Michael Carrick had Manchester United finish 3rd in the premier league and change Manchester United's performance in few months he joined Manchester United, it does not mean Chelsea should not be patient with their managers because Michael Carrick was able to do well because of foundation of Ruben Amorim laid at Manchester United and the players he signed for Manchester United. It is when Michael Carrick add more players to Manchester United and when season start we will know if Michael Carrick can lead Manchester United to war.

[Barikui1]

. As a Chelsea fan I was sad when Maresca was sacked but got happy again when Alonso was appointed. He's good and I'm sure he will make Chelsea better again.

I just want to correct this impression about Enzo maresca because most people are still getting it wrong, he wasn't sack as most of us initially thought he was, because on the contrary, he resigned from his position after he has verbally agreed to be the manager of Manchester City while he was still in charge of Chelsea, which is a very big betrayal to the club, and it's because Manchester City knows the gravity of the offense they did, that's why they are paying Chelsea up to £20M as compensation for the misconduct.

I believe that xabi Alonso will be a success if he can be allowed to work freely at the club without interference, and if he can get  all the type of player he want, he will definitely be a huge success at the club.

[bitLeap]

That's why Xabi Alonso needs to be given a chance and hopefully, Chelsea management won't demand immediate success from him in his first season. I'm sure there's a lot to build on and how to integrate the players to achieve their best. Likewise, regarding the players who will be bought and those who should be released and when Xabi Alonso can make adjustments to the team's needs, Chelsea will gradually improve next season. Xabi Alonso is the typical coach who has the ability to develop a team well, but everything takes time and this is something Chelsea management must consider.

Don't be too surprised by Chelsea management. Even Maresca, who has led Chelsea to incredible performances, hasn't earned the trust he deserves. The same goes for Xabi Alonso, so I wouldn't be surprised if the demands on him grow. The problem at Chelsea isn't who the manager is, but who the club's top brass is.

[Volgastallion]

In modern football talent is not so relevant anymore, i mean yes it still very important and can make you win some troublesome games but you need more things to be a top team aside of talent, you need a ton of work and a ton of tactic work flow and more defensive performance, is not that easy.

Palmer is there yes, but he needs to recover his level and most important, MAINTAIN that level for several matches.

[abhiseshakana]

That's why Xabi Alonso needs to be given a chance and hopefully, Chelsea management won't demand immediate success from him in his first season. I'm sure there's a lot to build on and how to integrate the players to achieve their best. Likewise, regarding the players who will be bought and those who should be released and when Xabi Alonso can make adjustments to the team's needs, Chelsea will gradually improve next season. Xabi Alonso is the typical coach who has the ability to develop a team well, but everything takes time and this is something Chelsea management must consider.

Don't be too surprised by Chelsea management. Even Maresca, who has led Chelsea to incredible performances, hasn't earned the trust he deserves. The same goes for Xabi Alonso, so I wouldn't be surprised if the demands on him grow. The problem at Chelsea isn't who the manager is, but who the club's top brass is.

I have the same thought .... Chelsea has changed dramatically  since Roman Abramovich was forced to leave the club. Although Todd Boehly is not one to skimp when it comes to signing players , but his approach is very different from Abramovich's. Whilst Roman Abramovich prioritises signing players in line with the manager’s wishes (the team’s needs), even if it means spending fresh funds , in contrast, Todd Boehly prefers to make long term investments , and therefore Chelsea tends to sign young players on long term contracts. Meanwhile, if the progress  ultimately falls short of expectations, it is the coach who will bear the brunt of it, and if that does not change , it seems Xabi Alonso may well suffer the same fate as his predecessors.

[Webutxo]

I believe Xabi Alonso is here to rebuild the club from scratch because most of the key players have exited Stamford Bridge and some are still keen on leaving, this is entirely a new project for Chelsea and I believe the club will work entirely to make sure they can come up with good players to replace their old ones. There's this thing called transition and Chelsea happen to be one of the EPL elite sides to pass this phase, it's going to be extremely tough but one thing is certain, Chelsea will bounce back and when they do, winning games will become much more easier, it won't just be about winning games but lifting major trophies with consecutive winnings.

Can he build from the scratch? That's depends on why happen afterwards. He has 3 years deal, that's reasonable to win something for the club, there is disarray of Chelsea players, seems there are many of them that want to leave the club, Xabi would have to sign new players and let the team be in good shape again before they can have good result. His first mission is to make sure that he put Chelsea in the top 4 by next season to have chance in the Champions League.

I'm also concerned about Enzo leaving the club, there is tense in the club. When a club is at the bottom, the payers tend to stay and help the club rebuild, that way they are also helping their career but this one now, the players want to be moving like they are not interested in the club again. They need to fix that mindset ASAP otherwise Xabi succession will be complete failure. The players must be ready and willingly to sacrifice for the club.

[M47AK16]

Alonso will definitely help them finish better than 10th, the real question is by how much. If he is still around there, like lets say 8th place or whatever, then that is not really a big improvement and basically the same thing all over again.

However, if we are talking about finishing lets say fifth or something then that is a real progress. I am not sure if Xabi Alonso can do that on his first ever season, that would be a huge jump in rankings and doubt that is possible at this moment.

I think Alonso will need to get off to a good start this season, because if Chelsea gets stuck in the middle of the table right from the start, it won't be the result they're expecting. And by the way, I don't see any big transfers coming from Alonso yet, and I think it will be difficult for him to change anything without them. But there's still half the summer ahead, so there's still time for that.

Alonso, in my opinion, will focus on young, high-quality players with Chelsea rather than big transfers. I trust his scouting network. They achieved great success with Bayer Leverkusen. He also wanted to evaluate many young players with Real Madrid. We will see something similar at Chelsea. I think he can be successful at Chelsea.

While there is a possibility of him doing that, I am pretty sure that it will not be easy at all. We are going to see these things change a lot, and it is not going to be easy to handle it at all. We should not be considering how this could be different and difficult because we are talking about something that is very expensive and also time consuming.

If you get young players then all you have right now would be young potential players who are not great right now and can't be top four right now but could be in the future. Chelsea do not have that much time to wait around for it, and may fire Xabi if the results do not come.