Chelsea are preparing for the 2026/27 Premier League season with yet another new manager, after their struggles in 2025/26.
The Blues finished 10th in the table last season, eight points outside the top five. They missed out on European football altogether too, albeit by just one point. Regardless, it was another disappointing season at Stamford Bridge and changes have been made.
Xabi Alonso has been brought in to steady the ship and take the Blues back to the Champions League. It won’t be an easy task, but Chelsea are in for an interesting season.
Get all the Chelsea stats to build up to the 2026/27 Premier League, plus the transfer business, manager and tactical information for the Blues here.
Chelsea opening fixtures 2026/27 Premier League
Chelsea have a very London-based start to the new season, with all five of their games in the capital. They start with their shortest away trip, facing Fulham at Craven Cottage in the final game of the season’s opening weekend. Then it’s a match against Brighton and Hove Albion for the first home game of the season. Chelsea start September with a trip to face champions Arsenal at the Emirates, before games against Hull City and Brentford.
| Date | Opponent | Kick-off |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 24th August | Fulham (A) | 8pm |
| Sunday 30th August | Brighton (H) | 2pm |
| Sunday 6th September | Arsenal (A) | 4:30pm |
| Saturday 12th September | Hull (H) | 3pm |
| Friday 18th September | Brentford (A) | 8pm |
Chelsea’s key players for 2026/27 Premier League
Chelsea top Premier League Golden Boot contender: Joao Pedro
- Key stat: Joao Pedro scored 15 goals for Chelsea in the Premier League last season.
Chelsea had three difference players score at least 10 league goals last season, both only one reached the tally without a penalty. Joao Pedro often received criticism for boosting his goalscoring numbers through penalties, with a very good record from the spot. He wasn’t high up the pecking order at Chelsea but that didn’t impact his numbers. Pedro scored 15 goals in the league last season, without netting a single penalty. Only three players in the league netted more non-penalty goals. The Brazilian also led Chelsea for shots (73) while ranking second for efforts on target (28).
Chelsea primary playmaker: Morgan Rogers
- Key stat: Morgan Rogers created more big chances (13) than any Chelsea player in the league last season.
When it comes to chances created, Enzo Fernandez led the way for Chelsea on 68. But his future remains in doubt, so Chelsea could look to new signing Morgan Rogers to pick up the creative slack. The Englishman was the most-creative player for Aston Villa in the league last season, creating 47 chances, which would have ranked him third among Chelsea players. But his 13 big chances created was more than players at both Villa and Chelsea. He also tied Pedro Neto for six assists, with his coming from 6.16 Expected Assists.
Chelsea card magnet and top tackler: Moises Caicedo
- Key stat: Moises Caicedo averaged 2.79 tackles per 90 minutes in the 2025/26 Premier League.
Moises Caicedo was a little below his high standards last season. But he was still one of Chelsea’s better players. And he was still tough to beat in the middle of the pitch. The Ecuadorean made 87 tackles in the Premier League last season, 32 more than any other Blues player. Caicedo also ranked top for his 109 possessions won in the middle third, and second for 60 possessionw on in the defensive third. But Caicedo’s tackling wasn’t always deemed clean by referees. The midfielder committed 54 fouls and was booked 11 times, both the most among Chelsea players.
Chelsea rising star: Estevao
Estevao had a sad end to last season with injury cutting it short and seeing him miss the World Cup. But he will only be motivated more to make an impact at Chelsea this year. The Brazilian is one of Chelsea’s brightest sparks and can force Xabi Alonso into a decision about his attacking lineup. Estevao was directly involved in four league goals in 845 minutes last season, at an average of 0.42 per 90.
Chelsea 2026 summer transfers
It’s been a very busy transfer window for Chelsea both in terms of incomings and outgoings. The Blues have strengthened across the pitch, with Morgan Rogers’ £117million move the marquee arrival. But they have also spent £52m to sign Maxence Lacroix and £47m on Marco Palestra. Geovany Quenda and Emmanuel Emegha have also joined after their earlier signings.
But Marc Cucurella and Andrey Santos have both left, for £52m and £50m, respectively. Tyrique George has also made his loan move to Everton permanent, while Alejandro Garnacho has joined Aston Villa on loan. There have also been a hadnful of youth loan departures.
Chelsea tactical analysis and formation
Chelsea’s team stats (average per game in 2025/26 Premier League)
- Corners: 5.95
- Shots on target: 4.37
- Shots on target conceded: 4.21
- Offsides: 1.53
Alonso has a fresh slate at Chelsea and there has been speculation surrounding the formation he’ll use. He has experience with both a back four and back three, utilising the latter at Bayer Leverkusen. Alonso has used a 4-2-3-1 in pre-season so far and may stick with that for the time being. It would see new signing Lacroix join Wesley Fofana at centre-back, with Trevoh Chalobah’s future in doubt. Reece James is a guaranteed starter on the right, while Hato is the only first-team left-back in the squad right now.
Should Fernandez stay, he’ll continue alongside Caicedo as the double pivot. Cole Palmer should continue on the right with Rogers taking up the No.10 role, if it’s a 4-2-3-1. Pedro Neto is likely to keep his place on the left, though he will be wary of Rogers’ versatility. Joao Pedro is Chelsea’s undisputed first-choice centre-forward.
Chelsea manager analysis
Xabi Alonso has only been in senior management for four years, but he’s already made a name for himself. He did start at Real Sociedad’s B team, spending three years in charge before making the move to Bayer Leverkusen. There, Alonso did the unthinkable, leading Leverkusen to their first ever Bundesliga title. They were deserved winners too, and lost just one game across all competitions in 2023/24. That was the Europa League Final, with Bayer Leverkusen just missing out on a treble.
The Bayer Leverkusen success wasn’t instant and came as a result of Alonso’s hard work, but it showed that he can manage a project. After a second-placed finish in the Bundesliga the following year, Alonso left for Real Madrid. The Spaniard had a good return at Real Madrid, actually winning more of his games there than he did in Leverkusen. But Los Blancos were a bit of a mess and a mixture of problems off the pitch, and inconsistency on pitch, led to his departure.
| Manager | Team | P | W | D | L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xabi Alonso | Chelsea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |