Following a season of managerial upheaval, cup disappointment and inconsistent league form, the curtain has fallen on what many fans will remember as one of the most chaotic campaigns in recent club history. Chelsea’s 2025/26 Premier League campaign ended in painful fashion at the Stadium of Light on Sunday, where the Blues were beaten 2-1 by a jubilant Sunderland side. The defeat confirmed the west London outfit’s 10th-place finish and means they will not play European football in Xabi Alonso’s first season in charge.
Chelsea headed north for what was their final chance to save Europa League football, but put in a limp display which encapsulated their lacklustre campaign in microcosm. It was Trai Hume who put the hosts ahead in the 25th minute as he found the bottom corner. They then doubled their lead five minutes after the restart when Malo Gusto scored an own goal in a chaotic start to the second half.
Cole Palmer pulled one back for Chelsea in the 56th minute, but just six minutes later, the Blues were down to 10 when Wesley Fofana was shown a second yellow card. That dismissal all but killed any hope of a fightback and handed Sunderland a remarkable Europa League berth in their first season back in the top flight. That result means Sunderland will play in Europe for the first time in 53 years, a far cry from the visitors’ time away from the continent.
The 2025-26 season was another in a worrying trend under ownership consortium BlueCo, who have taken the club to 12th, sixth, fourth and 10th under their stewardship. The fact that Chelsea have spent well over £1 billion on players since taking over in 2022 only makes their finishes in that time more shocking. The final table is genuinely sobering reading for a club of Chelsea’s stature, but let’s review the season as a whole.
Managerial Merry-Go-Round
The story of Chelsea’s season was the constant changing of the dugout, with three different men in the hot seat throughout the campaign. It was Enzo Maresca who had come closest to meeting the challenging brief set by the owners, winning the Conference League and Club World Cup trophies after qualifying for the Champions League in his first season in charge. The Blues were looking good for another top-five finish when the Italian unexpectedly left the club at the turn of the year after a row with the club’s top brass.
The Chelsea hierarchy said they would “engage in a process of self-reflection” after being criticised by supporters following the dismissal of Rosenior last month, who was sacked just three months after Maresca’s dismissal. Liam Rosenior was handed a six-and-a-half-year deal when he was appointed in January, only to be sacked after just over 100 days in charge. During this turbulent season, club Under-21 boss Calum McFarlane was thrust into the interim role on two occasions.
There is something small to smile about, though. It was good to see the statement: “Chelsea Football Club can confirm the appointment of Xabi Alonso as Manager of the Men’s Team.” The Spaniard will join the club on July 1, 2026, having agreed a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge. This will do little to stem the discontent with BlueCo ownership, which reached a boiling point throughout the campaign.
Multiple organised protests notably broke out across the season, even ahead of the FA Cup final. Supporters gathered outside Stamford Bridge in February ahead of the Premier League game against Southampton, brandishing placards and chanting slogans calling for a change in leadership.
Things got worse for BlueCo when hundreds of Chelsea fans joined in a novel cross-border protest march with their RC Strasbourg counterparts, as the anger towards Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali’s investment group grew. Chants for former owner Roman Abramovich have become a familiar soundtrack at Stamford Bridge, with banners accusing BlueCo of crimes against the club.
Joao Pedro is Another Shining Light
Amid all the doom and gloom about Chelsea’s campaign, the signing of João Pedro from Brighton in the summer was a shining light. The Chelsea forward had a standout debut season, scoring 20 goals and being named the Men’s Player of the Season by supporters, who gave him more than 60 per cent of the votes in the online poll. Enzo Fernandez was second in the voting, with Moises Caicedo third. The 24-year-old Brazilian had already announced his arrival with two goals in the Club World Cup final against Fluminense before the Premier League season even began.
The forward has found the net 15 times in 34 Premier League games, all of those being non-penalty goals. Despite the likes of Florian Wirtz and Matheus Cunha being new signings, Pedro is the only new signing in the Premier League to register 20 goals and assists so far this season. His consistency and ability to play in multiple attacking positions have made him an invaluable asset.
Only Enzo Fernandez and Pedro Neto have played more games in all competitions this season, while Joao Pedro is the 11th Chelsea player to score 20 goals in their first campaign at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League era. Cole Palmer had a less intimidating season but remained a major creative force; Caicedo and Fernandez continued to anchor a midfield that occasionally showed genuine quality amid the chaos. However, Joao Pedro was the true star this season.
Cup Heartbreak and European Failure
If the league campaign was a slow-burning frustration, Chelsea’s cup exploits were a succession of acute disappointments. Antoine Semenyo’s sensational finish in the second-half broke Chelsea’s resolve and settled the FA Cup final 1-0 at Wembley Stadium. The Blues could not find an equaliser despite the resilience of their defence and a late siege on Pep Guardiola’s goal.
Chelsea, who finished as runners-up in 2020, 2021 and 2022, tried to lay siege on City’s goal, but their mini barrage of shots, crosses and pressure ultimately did not lead to the equaliser they so desperately craved. The Carabao Cup campaign ended earlier with a semi-final defeat to Arsenal, the Gunners progressing 4-2 on aggregate in early February.
Perhaps the most chastening blow of all came in the Champions League, with Chelsea FC losing 0-3 to Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg, following a 2-5 first-leg defeat in Paris. The cumulative 8-2 aggregate humiliation against the eventual finalists was a sobering reminder for a club that had won the Conference League and Club World Cup just a year ago.
Looking Ahead
Xabi Alonso inherits a talented squad, but without European football, a strange situation for one of England’s traditional powerhouses. Some reckon the absence of European football will give the former Real Madrid boss more time with his squad next season, but the heightened focus on domestic competitions will bring with it more pressure to succeed and perhaps win silverware. The Spaniard will be afforded the luxury of a full pre-season to stamp his philosophy on the playing group.
The incoming boss is rumoured to have been given big transfer power, and perhaps he’ll be more successful than the likes of Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior. The most talked-about thing since Alonso’s arrival is that he has been officially appointed Chelsea manager rather than head coach, a move that hints at a deliberate change in the club’s organisational philosophy.
Reece James, Levi Colwill, and the rest of the senior leadership group will have a job on their hands to help the new boss bring a coherent identity to Stamford Bridge. The transfer window looks set to be busier, and reports suggest Alonso will play a key role in recruitment decisions. A return to Champions League football and a serious challenge for domestic silverware must surely constitute the minimum benchmark for 2026/27.
It should be noted, though, that the summer looks set to bring a big exodus from Stamford Bridge with a number of key figures reportedly attracting serious interest. Atletico Madrid are reportedly keen to sign Cucurella, and the Chelsea star is said to be keen to make the move back to Spain.
Manchester City would also be very interested in signing Enzo Fernandez at the personal request of Enzo Maresca, ahead of his imminent arrival in the Etihad dugout. Real Madrid are also circling to either sign Fernandez or Rodri, of which the latter will push the Cityzens to get Enzo Fernandez.
Joao Pedro’s agent is apparently ready to tell Chelsea that Barcelona are serious about signing the 24-year-old Brazilian, with the transfer fee possibly rising to around €100 million. Liam Delap, meanwhile, looks to be on his way, having scored only once in 27 Premier League games.
Final Thoughts
Chelsea’s 2025/26 season will not be remembered fondly by anyone of a Blue persuasion. From the sacking of a Conference League and Club World Cup-winning manager to the ignominy of a final-day defeat at the Stadium of Light, the campaign has served as a reminder that money spent does not always translate into success on the pitch. The path forward for BlueCo remains a real cause for concern among an increasingly weary fan base.
But for now, the priority has to be recovery, recalibration and the hard graft of rebuilding belief in a fanbase that has suffered plenty of false dawns. The next chapter at Stamford Bridge begins on July 1st as Alonso officially takes over, and Chelsea fans can only hope it is a whole lot brighter than the one just ended.