{"id":4067,"date":"2026-05-21T22:36:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T22:36:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/?p=4067"},"modified":"2026-05-21T22:36:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T22:36:29","slug":"xabi-alonso-ready-for-beautiful-project-as-he-takes-over-at-chelsea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/?p=4067","title":{"rendered":"Xabi Alonso Ready For &#039;Beautiful Project&#039; As He Takes Over At Chelsea"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"subnav-title ff-ffc bold fs-23 lh-25 uc pd-b-10\">\n            POPULAR SEARCHES\n          <\/p>\n<p class=\"subnav-title ff-ffc bold fs-23 lh-25 uc pd-b-10\">\n            BROWSE BY\n          <\/p>\n<p class=\"ital ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6\"><img decoding=\"async\" height=\"20px\" src=\"https:\/\/b.fssta.com\/uploads\/application\/external-logos\/goal-dot-com-logo_black.svg\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Xabi Alonso has backed Chelsea\u2019s long-term vision after speaking publicly about his move to Stamford Bridge.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The Spaniard dismissed concerns over the club\u2019s absence from Champions League and described the role as a &#8220;beautiful project&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Alonso has already sparked excitement among Chelsea supporters after being seen in Madrid ahead of his official arrival in west London.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The Spaniard briefly discussed his upcoming move during an interview with Spanish television program <i>El Chiringuito<\/i>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Chelsea\u2019s hierarchy view Alonso\u2019s appointment as a major statement following a difficult period for the club.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Despite missing out on Champions League next season, the former midfielder appears fully convinced by the direction being taken at Stamford Bridge.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Alonso is due to officially begin work on July 1, but preparations for the new campaign are already underway behind the scenes as Chelsea continue planning for a crucial summer rebuild.<\/p>\n<p><span>LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND &#8211; NOVEMBER 04: Xabi Alonso, Head Coach of Real Madrid, applauds the fans after the team&#8217;s defeat in the UEFA Champions League 2025\/26 League Phase MD4 match between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid C.F. at Anfield on November 04, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Carl Recine\/Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>During the interview, Alonso was asked whether Chelsea\u2019s lack of European football had complicated negotiations over the move.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Responding to those concerns, the Spaniard said: &#8220;No, I was always open to it, and, well, it\u2019s a beautiful project. Chelsea is a nice project, it\u2019s a very good option.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Alonso is expected to play a major role in Chelsea\u2019s summer transfer business as the club look to refine the balance of the squad.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Reports have already linked forward Joao Pedro with a potential \u20ac100 million move to Barcelona.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Additionally, Alonso is also reportedly keen to retain Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella, who have both been linked with moves away from Stamford Bridge this summer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Chelsea\u2019s long-term project has faced scrutiny from pundits and rival supporters, particularly after inconsistent results and the absence of Champions League next season.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The Spaniard arrives with a growing reputation as one of Europe\u2019s brightest young coaches, and supporters will now be eager to see how quickly he can implement his ideas at Stamford Bridge.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Chelsea\u2019s focus will now shift towards the summer transfer window and Alonso\u2019s first pre-season in charge.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Recruitment decisions are expected to be crucial as the club attempt to blend experienced players with an already talented young core. Several names have been linked with Alonso&#8217;s Chelsea.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>According to <i>Football365<\/i>, his former Real Madrid players, Arda G\u00fcler and Alvaro Carreras, are among the targets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11\u2013July 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament matches will air live across FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with every match streaming live and on-demand within both the FOX One and the FOX Sports app. A record 40 matches, more than one-third of the tournament, will air in prime time across FOX (21) and FS1 (19).<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The opening match on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa (3 p.m. ET) will stream for free on Tubi, as well as the USA&#8217;s opening match against Paraguay on June 12 (9 p.m. ET).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>POPULAR SEARCHES BROWSE BY Xabi Alonso has backed Chelsea\u2019s long-term vision after speaking publicly about his move to Stamford Bridge.\u00a0 The Spaniard dismissed concerns over the club\u2019s absence from Champions League and described the role as a &#8220;beautiful project&#8221;. Alonso has already sparked excitement among Chelsea supporters after being seen in Madrid ahead of his [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":4066,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4067\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}