Chelsea's new manager Xabi Alonso will be speaking to the media at Stamford Bridge shortly.

The 44-year-old, who is entering his second week as Blues boss, is also expected to take part in a photoshoot at the stadium following his news conference.

It is standard procedure for Chelsea to formally present a new manager before the start of a season, but this appointment carries greater significance.

The club's owners have previously acknowledged that their managerial appointments have not worked out as hoped.

Last season, Enzo Maresca left the club midway through the campaign following approaches from Manchester City, while his successor, Liam Rosenior, failed to make a lasting impact.

As is often the case with new appointments, there is enthusiasm about Alonso's arrival. However, questions remain about the wider project, and only sustained success and positive results on the pitch are likely to answer them.

There are a lot of potential topics up for discussion - like his decision to join as a legendary former Liverpool player, his title being manager and not head coach and whether he can survive the managerial churn in west London.

Some of his players, such as winger Alejandro Garnacho and defender Trevoh Chalobah, are up for sale or face uncertain futures. Midfielder Enzo Fernandez also known to be exploring his options to leave.

Yet, it will be exciting to get to know a new manager going into a new campaign.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Those fans outside Wembley back in May thought Alonso was a good fit, but the club has also signed players they believe will fit his system.

Marco Palestra became Chelsea's first signing of the summer when he joined on a permanent deal from Atalanta for about £47m, including add-ons, at the start of July.

The Blues have also signed Sporting winger Geovany Quenda in a deal worth £40m, which was agreed as far back as March 2025 during Enzo Maresca's 18-month spell in charge.

A number of players have already left Chelsea. Marc Cucurella has joined Real Madrid, Tyrique George has moved to Everton, while Andrey Santos is set to join Manchester United after a £50m deal was agreed on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have announced Jesse Derry, 19, has signed a new six-year contract and is now set to join Sporting on loan.

Below are some opinions from Chelsea fans after Xabi Alonso's appointment as manager was announced back in May.

Tell us your views and opinions on Xabi Alonso by using the 'Get Involved' button at the top of the page.

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Chelsea's new manager Xabi Alonso spoke to the club's media during his first day at Cobham training ground.

"We share a feeling we are doing things the right way and that we are on the right path to success," said Alonso.

"We know that success is a consequence of good work, of quality decisions, of the good culture that we want to build.

"That’s the beauty of such a complex but nice process with so many people involved.

"Always getting the best out of everyone, and everyone is committed with the last goal that is being the best we can and giving our best. If we all share, day by day, that feeling, we can be optimistic about the future."

The interview concludes with Alonso addressing Blues fans directly as he begins life as Chelsea manager.

"The message is that we want to share that belief that good things will come if we are together and we create this strength, this power that the club has," he said.

"It has to come from us to bring this energy, but together we can achieve great things in the coming years."

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport Chelsea reporter

Alonso was always open to moving to London and working at Chelsea, and is understood to be highly enthusiastic about the role.

He was also keen to relocate and ready to return to a top-level club job, six months after his departure from Real.

Any initial concerns during early negotiations about the much-criticised BlueCo project have now been allayed.

It remains a tough task to galvanise Chelsea in a season in which two permanent head coaches left the club.

It is hoped Alonso will have the personality, gravitas from his playing career and tactical acumen to bring the club back to the standards it expects by qualifying for the Champions League and winning trophies.

He may have to do so without European football, with Chelsea ninth and needing to finish at least eighth to qualify for the Conference League - after missing the chance to reach the Europa League by winning the FA Cup.

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Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League last season, with a total of 52 points. They did not qualify for European competition through their league position.

In the FA Cup, Chelsea reached the final but lost 2-1 to Manchester City.

Chelsea reached the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup but were eliminated by Arsenal after a 4-2 defeat on aggregate over two legs.

The Blues finished sixth in the League Phase of the Champions League, by winning five of their eight games.

They were knocked out in the last 16 after losing 8-2 on aggregate to PSG, which was their joint-heaviest defeat in a two‑legged European tie.

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Chelsea appointed former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso as their manager on a four‑year contract back on 17 May.

The 44-year-old Spaniard was available after leaving Real Madrid by mutual consent in January, less than eight months into a three-year contract.

He previously spent three years in charge of Bayer Leverkusen, leading the German club to their first Bundesliga title in 2024, as well as the German Cup.

Alonso spent five years in the Premier League with Liverpool, helping them win the Champions League in 2005, and also played for Real Sociedad, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

He also made 114 appearances for Spain, winning the 2010 World Cup and the European Championship twice.

Image source, Getty Images

Hello again!

Earlier, we heard from Liverpool's new head coach Andoni Iraola, who spoke to the media for the first time as the Reds' new boss.

Up next, we have another new manager holding his first press conference- Chelsea's Xabi Alonso.

His news conference is due to begin at 15:00 BST, but first, let's take a look at how his appointment unfolded.

Well, that's Iraola's first press conference as Liverpool manager done and dusted!

Here is a recap of some things you may have missed:

• What are the expectations for Iraola?
• 'A lot of gaps in the squad' - are Reds finding transfers 'difficult'?
• Liverpool are 'working hard' on new signings
• Iraola contacts eliminated World Cup players
• 'Players already know what we are going to demand in terms of style'
• Iraola understands Liverpool task but won't change 'DNA'
• Managers have to earn the right to continue

We will be back to cover Xabi Alonso's first press conference as Chelsea manager, which is set to start at 15:00 BST.

Thank you for joining us this morning.

Bye!

Ask Me Anything

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Our team can call upon a network of contacts - including our reporters, pundits and other experts - to find out everything you need to know.

No question is too big or too small, so fire away and we will answer the best of them throughout the campaign.

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Andoni Iraola used to play football on the beach as a child with Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso. Now all three will be Premier League managers next season.

For a while, Iraola did not think he would make football his profession, and he was three years into a law degree when he gave it up to commit to the demands of playing at full-back for Athletic Club.

After coaching in Cyprus and taking recent Conference League finalists Rayo Vallecano back into the Spanish top flight, he arrived in England with a relatively low profile but soon made his name by making Bournemouth a Premier League force.

Speaking of Xabi Alonso, we will hear from the Chelsea boss later this afternoon.

Liverpool

Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola on managing the additional workload of competing in four competitions:

"I think it's a big challenge for me. It's a big change because here, most of the weeks are not going to be clean in terms of we will have a midweek game.

"It is also a great opportunity for the players because I always love to have this kind of season as a player. You basically don't train a lot, you play, recover, play, recover.

"I think there is the chance to use more players also, because it's impossible to deal with this kind of season with 13/14/15 players, you need all the squad.

"There are positives of this, but you have to get ready because in this kind of season, a lot of games, injuries will happen situations will happen, so we have to get ready in terms of squad depth so we can deal with the demands of the competition, and we can go through those months, especially here in England, December, January, February... Those months are really hard and we have to arrive to those months in a situation where we can deal with them, yes."

There is a lot of positivity from Andoni Iraola in his first news conference as Liverpool boss.

He will have a lot to get done before the season begins in August, but first his side will jet off to the US for their pre-season games:

25 July: Liverpool v Sunderland (Geodis Park, Nashville, 23:00)

29 July: Liverpool v Wrexham (Yankee Stadium, New York, 00:30)

2 August: Liverpool v Leeds (Soldier Field, Chicago, 21:00)

9 August: Liverpool v Monaco (Anfield, Liverpool, 14:30)

16 August: Liverpool v Como (Anfield, Liverpool 18:00)

Liverpool

Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola on why he prefers a two-year deal:

"In terms of coaching contracts - they don't matter a lot. I don't want to be in a place because I have a contract. Because, 'well, we are not sure' - you have a contract so you stay there....

"I signed for two years, but it's basically year to year when you are a coach. We have seen a lot of managers who have long contracts, and because they club doesn't want, because they don't want, because.. at the end when you are a player the contract is very important.

"When you are a manager I feel... you know, if they sack you it will be better because they will pay you a little bit more, or if I haven't worked also it's like... if you're happy I am happy don't worry, I hope I'm going to stay here two years or a lot more years, it will mean I have done a very good job. But I feel we have to earn it.

"Managers, we have to earn every year the right to continue, especially in clubs like Liverpool but I've done it everywhere. I've done it always like this, yes."

Liverpool

Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola on how important his core principles are:

"They have to be our core principles. After we will have a lot of games a lot of questions, 'if you face low blocks...' and this, I always say I prefer to face low blocks, in terms of we will be in control of the games, we will concede fewer chances, spend a lot of time in our opposition's half. Those are the scenarios we have to find.

"Some teams give you it straight away, that situation - perfect. Other teams, they don't give it straight away, they try to control the game, play in your half.

"I'm looking forward to spending as much time as we can in our opposition's half with the ball, without the ball, because I feel we are closer to scoring."

As a reminder, there is a poll at the top of the live page, we want to know where you think Liverpool will finish at the end of the season.

Currently, 68% of our live page audience think it will be a top 5 finish for the Reds.

21% of you believe Andoni Iraola's Liverpool can go all the way and be crowned Premier League champions.

Liverpool

Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola on whether fans should expect a transitional season:

"We have to accept that there are difficult situations right now. A lot of senior players leaving, very experienced players leaving who have achieved almost everything here at the club.

"Also, some of the very important players are injured. We haven't started training and already have cases of Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni, long injuries. So in terms of also improving the team, we have to consider, we have to replace very important players who were making very good numbers.

"And we also have a situation with those big injuries who are going to miss some time, that we also have to find a way to replace. These three players, I love them, they are the long term solutions, I am sure about Hugo, Conor and Giovanni.

"But there's going to be in August a period where we are without them and we have to find solutions to this."

Liverpool

Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola asked what fans can expect from his character and personality:

"The most difficult question, probably, no? 'Try to describe yourself', I don't like this at all!

"I think you have the advantage that you have already seen me, three years at least in the Premier League. Some of them will know me better, the others maybe they don't know me. But the people involved in football more or less, they're going to know what we will try to do.

"I understand that this is Liverpool, we have to change some things, we have to change a little bit even tactically, on the pitch...

"But if they sign me it's because they want a lot of things that I was doing before at other clubs. So I wouldn't like to change on the pitch the DNA of what has been my teams, and also outside, how I'm going to answer your questions, how I'm going to relate to the supporters.

"I'm going to try and be as natural as possible and I hope it doesn't change me a lot."

Iraola started his football education at renowned Basque amateur club Antiguoko alongside Alonso and Arteta, who are now in charge at Chelsea and Arsenal respectively.

They played football on the beach as children, but only when the tide was out.

Iraola told BBC Sport's Kelly Somers last year: "It's incredible because when we were seven, eight, nine, I played with Mikel Arteta, I played with Xabi Alonso.

"We are more or less the same age, playing sometimes against each other because I was in a school and they were in other schools when we were playing on the beach.

"Then after we played together in a small club, also in Antiguoko, and now it's amazing that we see each other on the football pitches almost 40 years later."

Iraola spent the bulk of his playing career with Athletic Club, where he worked under top coaches such as Marcelo Bielsa, who led the Bilbao side to two finals in 2012, and future Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde.

But it was when he left the club in 2015 to see out his career at New York City FC that he truly got to rub shoulders with the game's elite, playing in a team containing Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo and David Villa, and managed by Patrick Vieira.

"It was the moment where I realised I was going to retire and I started thinking about the game in a different way," Iraola said.

"I also had Patrick Vieira as a coach. He showed me a different style of play because he was coming from the Manchester City academy, where there was more positional play, and I was used to a different style of play."

Liverpool

Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola, asked whether he will be the same coach he's always been or if he has to change:

"I will try to be the same coach. I will understand that I will make mistakes and say things that I shouldn't. You can't be thinking all the time, subtly, 'don't tell this'...

"I think you have to be yourself and I will try to be.

"Obviously I cannot say everything here to you, there are some things that you have to keep private.

"But especially with the players, I know that we will have big personalities, big egos, but I will try not to change with them also, yes."