Xabi Alonso begins work at Chelsea next month with the Spaniard expected to be heavily involved in the club's transfer business throughout the summer window
11:34, 01 Jun 2026
Xabi Alonso
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Xabi Alonso has been tipped to bring success back to Stamford Bridge(Image: Alex Grimm)
Alan Shearer believes a shift in power was completely necessary for Chelsea to be successful again - and has backed Xabi Alonso to lead the Blues back to their glory days.
Alonso was last month appointed as Chelsea's new first-team manager and will officially begin in the role on July 1. Signing a four-year contract, the Spaniard will be given more power when it comes to operations within the club, hence his 'manager' title and not, like predecessors under BlueCo, a 'head coach'.
The 44-year-old will work collaboratively with the club's five-strong team of sporting directors this summer to help build a squad capable of competing in all four major competitions next season. Shearer believes a change like this needed to happen at Stamford Bridge to avoid the sort of power struggle we saw with a select few of Alonso's predecessors.
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Speaking to Betfair, Shearer said: "There's one thing I would say about Xabi Alonso taking the Chelsea role is that it's not a coincidence he's the manager rather than a head coach which suggests to me that he's got so many things in his contract that it'll be watertight. For Chelsea to be successful, it couldn't keep on going the way it is.
"It had to have someone at the helm who was making big decisions. And I guess the title of manager means he's going to be making big decisions, who's coming in and who's going out.
"So, if that is going to be the case, and with the finance behind them, I would think Chelsea will be there or thereabouts next season. They have to be in the title hunt and they have to be in the trophy hunt. They can't have another season like they've had this season."
Shearer has tipped Chelsea to be very active in the upcoming summer transfer window - scheduled to open in two weeks' time - to help bridge the gap between themselves and recently-crowned Premier League champions Arsenal.
"Arsenal will want it again next season," added the Premier League's all-time leading goal scorer. "They'll want to go back-to-back. I mean, Man City did it four times, didn't they? Which is an incredible achievement. They'll have a good summer. Most of their players will be away on World Cup duty.
"The manager will have a well-earned rest, he'll do some traveling, I’m sure. But I'm also sure that they can start and plan now to get one or two big names in, which you have to do when you're champions, so I guess the recruitment has already started.
"It'll be interesting to see what they do, or who they'll bring in. But yeah, it's go-again time after a very busy summer.
"Man City will fight back though next season. I mean, with the players that they have, and I guess the recruitment that they'll have ahead of next season and that can only be a good thing. They haven't been good enough this year by their own very high standards and they didn't deserve to win the Premier League so they'll go again in the summer with their recruitment, as Liverpool will, as Man United will and as Chelsea will.
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"It's a really interesting time for all these chasing clubs. I mean, particularly Man City because it does look as if Pep's leaving. It does look as if Enzo Maresca is going to be the next manager so yeah, it'll be a really important summer and a really important next season for them to see how Man City cope."