Chelsea 2026/27 Season Preview
Premier League Blog
Detailed Chelsea Season Preview: Insights and Analysis
Where Did Chelsea Finish Last Season
Well, once again, Chelsea proved to be the toughest side to predict last season, with my educated guess of a fourth-place finish one of the biggest gaps between my pre-2025/26 season expectations and reality.
Once again inserting themselves into the title contenders discussion early in the season under Enzo Maresca, things shattered into a million pieces when Liam Rosenior stepped into the dugout after the Italian’s dismissal on New Year's Day, and from there, the Blues were never going to recover.
Though they did reach an FA Cup final, their 10th-placed Premier League finish and their humiliating Champions League exit at the hands of eventual winner PSG overshadowed any ounce of achievement, and the players left the Cobham training ground for a summer off with their heads bowed.
Xabi Alonso overseeing and being fully involved in training sessions is a beautiful thing to see.
— JnR (@CFCJnR) July 17, 2026
He will make Chelsea great again. pic.twitter.com/11u1C3knrK
They return with a much rosier outlook: somehow, Todd Boehly and co. managed to wrangle the signature of Xabi Alonso, with the former Real Madrid man being one of football’s most sought-after managers at the end of last season, while no European football means that the Blues can focus solely on the league, rendering fatigue and injury crises virtually non-existent.
Prying £117 million-pound man Morgan Rogers from the hands of Premier League champions Arsenal, and clearly ready to spend more, Chelsea have shown their hand once again in the market, and with the manager actually having a say in the moves they make, they could be in for a genuine season of improvement.
However, should they once again flatter to deceive, there will be no more denying it – the Blue Co. project would have failed, and the divisive owners should start looking elsewhere for vindication. This needs to be a season done right, or a host of reputations will forever be tarnished.
Best Result: West Ham 1-5 Chelsea (Paqueta 6’; Pedro 15’, Neto 23’, Fernandez 34’, Caicedo 54’, Chalobah 58’).
Worst Result: Everton 3-0 Chelsea (Beto 23’, 62’, Ndiaye 76’).
Who Have Chelsea Signed in the Summer Transfer Window So Far?
IN
Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa – £117 Million
Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace – £52 Million
Marco Palestra from Atalanta – £48.4 Million
Geovany Quenda from Sporting Lisbon – £42.5 Million Pre-Agreed Deal
Honest Ahanor from Atalanta - £40 Million
Valentin Barco from Strasbourg - £34.3 Million
Emmanuel Emegha from RC Strasbourg – £22 Million
Pep Chavarria from Rayo Vallecano - £18 Million
Denner from Corinthians – £8.5 Million+ £3.4 Million Add Ons
Emiliano Martinez from Aston Villa - £7.5 Million
Danny Welbeck from Brighton - £5 Million
Dastan Satpayev from Kairat Almaty – £2 Million Pre-Agreed Deal
Jordan Henderson from Brentford - Free Transfer
Harrison Bettoni from Wigan Athletic – Free Transfer
Total Spent: £331.8 Million
OUT
Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City - £125 Million
Nicolas Jackson to Aston Villa - £65 Million
Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid – £51.8 Million
Andrey Santos to Manchester United – £50 Million
Liam Delap to Nottingham Forest - £50 Million
Trevoh Chalobah to Como - £31 Million
Tyrique George to Everton – Loan Made Permanent for £24 Million
Marc Guiu to RB Leipzig - £14.6 Million
Deivid Washington to RC Strasbourg - £13.7 Million
Omari Kellyman to RC Strasbourg - £8.5 Million
Tosin Adarabioyo to Tottenham - £7 Million
Jimmy-Jay Morgan to West Brom – £4 Million
David Datro Fofana to FC Servette - £2.6 Million
Alejandro Garnacho to Aston Villa – Season-Long Loan with Obligation to Buy
Joseph Wheeler-Henry to Brentford – Undisclosed
Frankie Runham to Ipswich Town – Season-Long Loan with Obligation to Buy
Honest Ahanor to Crystal Palace - Season-Long Loan
Benoit Badiashile to Napoli - Season-Long Loan
Axel Disasi to Crystal Palace - Season-Long Loan
Dario Essugo to RC Strasbourg - Season-Long Loan
Robert Sanchez to Como - Season-Long Loan
Mamadou Sarr to Real Sociedad - Season-Long Loan
Mykhaylo Mudryk to Tottenham Hotspur - Season-Long Loan
Jesse Derry to Sporting Lisbon – Season-Long Loan
Filip Jorgensen to RC Strasbourg - Season-Long Loan
Caleb Wiley to Preston North End - [Season-Long Loan]](https://x.com/pnefc/status/2093315157984428101)
Ishe Samuels-Smith to Notts County - Season-Long Loan
Dastan Satpayev to Burnley - Season-Long Loan
Reggie Walsh to Wigan Athletic - Season-Long Loan
Ryan Kavuma-McQueen to Portsmouth - Season-Long Loan
Harrison Murray-Campbell to Kortrijk – Season-Long Loan
Dujuan Richards to AFC Wimbledon - Season-Long Loan
Max Merrick to Hartlepool United - Season-Long Loan
Ollie Harrison to Wimbledon - Season-Long Loan
Kaiden Wilson to Rochdale - Season-Long Loan
Jimi Tauriainen to Horsens – Free Transfer
Total Received: £447.2 Million
Chelsea 2026/27 Squad List
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez, Mike Penders
Defenders: Aaron Anselmino, Levi Colwill, Jorrel Hato, Wesley Fofana, Josh Acheampong, Reece James, Malo Gusto, Marco Palestra, Pep Chavarria.
Midfielders: Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Morgan Rogers.
Attackers: Emmanuel Emegha, Geovany Quenda, Pedro Neto, Jamie Gittens, João Pedro, Estevão Willian, Shum Mheuka.
Chelsea 2026/27 Home, Away and Third Kits
Home Kit
Chelsea have revealed their new home kit for next season 👀🔵 pic.twitter.com/p0tFMlRkI1
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) June 2, 2026
Away Kit
Away Kit 26/27. Available now in-store and online. #UnleashTheLion
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 21, 2026
Third Kit
Lacroix in Chelsea third kit. pic.twitter.com/y7Irh9bFz3
— Footy Pulse (@CFCFootyx) July 26, 2026
What is Chelsea’s Opening Premier League Fixture?
Fulham vs Chelsea | Craven Cottage, London | Monday, August 24th, 20:00
How Can I Watch Fulham vs Chelsea?
TV coverage for the game is yet to be announced.
What Are Chelsea’s First Five Fixtures?
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Fulham vs Chelsea – Monday, August 24th.
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Chelsea vs Brighton – Sunday, August 30th.
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Arsenal vs Chelsea – Sunday, September 6th.
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Chelsea vs Hull City – Saturday, September 12th.
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Brentford vs Chelsea – Friday, September 18th.
When Do Chelsea Play Rivals Tottenham in 2026/27?
Though Spurs would class Arsenal as their main rivals, Chelsea view the North Londoners as mortal enemies – countless red cards, thrilling meetings, “the Battle of Stamford Bridge”; they never fail to entertain when they meet. The good bit for Chelsea? Just one loss in their last 14 meetings with Roberto de Zerbi’s side, enough to say that London ISN’T white…
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Chelsea vs Tottenham | Stamford Bridge, London | Saturday, October 24th
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Tottenham vs Chelsea | The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London | Saturday, May 8th
Last Five Meetings:
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19/05/2026: Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham
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01/11/2025: Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea
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03/04/2025: Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham
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08/12/2024: Tottenham 3-4 Chelsea
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02/05/2025: Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham
Who is Chelsea’s Manager for the 2025/26 Season?
Xabi Alonso
It remains to be seen whether he can go against the grain and survive his opening months in West London, but having Xabi Alonso in the dugout is a huge plus for Chelsea and a massive upgrade on the dark times of Liam Rosenior’s reign.
The Spaniard, who has guided Bayer Leverkusen to an undefeated domestic double and boasts a 71% win rate at Real Madrid despite his unceremonious sacking, clearly has a unique eye for management, and it was a serious coup for Chelsea to beat Liverpool to his signature, seeing as the former midfielder used to play for the Reds.
🚨🔵 Xabi Alonso signed his contract earlier today at Chelsea, everything completed. ✍🏼
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 16, 2026
The agreement until June 2030 is done, sealed and will be announced in the next hours.
Xabi’s contract to run from July 1st but set to start working immediately also on transfers. pic.twitter.com/m1jPhYviku
Alonso has an acute tactical understanding and the ability to switch things up when Plan A is working, with both four- and five-at-the-back formations familiar to the two-time Champions League winner.
If things don’t go to plan this season, Alonso will surely be the club's last elite manager until they manage to get their act together again, and both parties will be desperate to avoid this being the case. The first manager under Blue Co., Alonso is in the unique position of having a say in who stays, who goes, and who arrives, a factor that will play a huge part in how Chelsea’s season goes.
Who is Chelsea’s Player to Watch?
Joao Pedro
One of very few names to come out of Chelsea’s dismal 25/26 campaign with credit to their name, last season finally saw Joao Pedro make the leap from great to elite, a level we in England have long known he has the capability of reaching.
Bought to the Bridge for over £50 million last summer, many believed him to be a waste of money, another Chelsea signing brought in for too much simply to do too little. However, 23 goals and nine assists later, and dissenters were quickly silenced.
The ball is never out of reach for Joao Pedro ✨ pic.twitter.com/eHrvwmhJz1
— Premier League (@premierleague) June 16, 2026
Pedro was monstrous up top for the Blues last season and was the only reason they finished in the top half of the table. Scoring every type of goal, from header to long-range screamer to bicycle kick, the Brazilian has created some superb foundations – now is the time to get to building.
Chelsea 2026/27 Season Prediction
With no European football to worry about, Chelsea find themselves with the unique advantage of having a full week's rest between their league fixtures more often than not, while rival clubs toil away on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights on the continent.
It means that Chelsea’s squad depth will be able to carry them comfortably through a reduced schedule, injuries will be fewer and farther between, and Alonso gets more time to drill and learn about his team.
Alonso’s efforts are helped by the fact the Blues don’t leave London for a Premier League fixture until October 10th. The lack of travel required to get to these games means even less fatigue on the players, more familiar surroundings, and more time on the training ground to get the side playing in exactly the way Alonso wants.
It’s hard to see anything but improvement in the coming campaign, but the Blues have proven time and again that you can’t rely on them for anything, so really this is a shot in the dark. They’ll get Europe, reach at least a domestic semi-final, and generally impress, but not to the level we know their expensively assembled squad is more than capable of.
Football Park’s Prediction: 5th.
Joe Ryan 
Louis Wheeldon 
Jac Jones 