Xabi Alonso knows Chelsea will not become serious Premier League contenders overnight, predicting they will improve throughout his first season at the helm.

Alonso took charge at Stamford Bridge following a tumultuous 2025-26 campaign in which the Blues saw Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior depart, while Calum McFarlane had two separate spells as their interim head coach as they finished 10th in the Premier League.

Alonso returns to England 17 years on from his departure from Liverpool as a player, having joined Real Madrid in 2009.

After moving into the dugout, Alonso helped Bayer Leverkusen win an unbeaten Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double in 2023-24 but then struggled upon taking charge of Madrid last year, only lasting half a season before he was replaced by Alvaro Arbeloa.

Arbeloa will be the first manager that Alonso goes up against in the Premier League, after he was appointed by Fulham. The West London rivals face off at Craven Cottage on August 24 to bring the curtain down on the opening matchday of the season.

But Alonso knows his Chelsea team will not be the finished article early in the campaign and is reluctant to name a clear target for 2025-26.  

"The idea is not to think too early about what's going to happen in May. We need to go step by step," Alonso told reporters ahead of Tuesday's pre-season opener against Western Sydney Wanderers. 

"We want to have a good start, but for that we need to create good energy, good chemistry within the team, clear ideas, and that will develop for sure.

"I'm sure that the team that will start in August won't be the same team that we finish with in May, and I'm sure that team in May will be better than the first day.

"I don't want to talk too early about our goals. We want to have a good season. We want to deserve to be as high as possible, and for that we need to work hard. 

"We need to develop this team with new players, a new coach, new ideas. Sometimes it takes longer, sometimes it happens quicker.

"So we have to be ready to develop this idea that we have, this plan. But so far, it's a good feeling. Good energy. The players are working hard, and that's what we want."

Chelsea will also face Tottenham, Juventus, AC Milan and Johor Darul Ta'zim during their pre-season tour of Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia. They then return to Stamford Bridge to take on Real Sociedad in their final friendly on August 15.

If Chelsea are to challenge for their first Premier League title since 2016-17, their main rivals are likely to be defending champions Arsenal, Andoni Iraola's Liverpool and Manchester City – now under former Blues boss Maresca.

Asked how the Premier League had changed in his 17 years away, Alonso said: "It has changed a lot. It was a long time ago; I left in 2009. 

"We've seen the progression and the development of the league, of the teams, of the clubs, the coaches as well, the players.

"They were good years, but now I hope that I can enjoy it as well as a manager. 

"So far, I think that we have great qualities to work with. For sure, we do not have the whole squad, but the ones that are training are doing well. They have good energy."

On Monday, widespread reports suggested Chelsea are interested in Danny Welbeck, who scored 13 Premier League goals for Brighton last campaign.