Todd Boehly lands Xabi Alonso for 2026/27 as Mbappe link grows
todd boehly has Chelsea set up with Xabi Alonso for the 2026/27 season, and the timing has pushed Kylian Mbappe back into the frame. Alonso signed a four-year deal over the weekend, giving Chelsea a manager with a known relationship to the Real Madrid forward.
Xabi Alonso and Mbappe
Mbappe said after the win over Oviedo that he had a great relationship with Alonso and that the coach “is going to become a great coach.” He added: “We had a structure in our game and we lost it - that hurts a lot. I had a great relationship with Xabi Alonso. He is going to become a great coach, but that is now in the past. We have to look forward.”
That link matters because Mbappe could be on his way out of Real Madrid this summer. Real Madrid also went trophy-less in the season described, while Mbappe was pictured on holiday as he recovered from an injury.
Real Madrid friction
The split picture at Madrid has sharpened the talk around him. Mbappe said he was a “fourth-choice” striker under interim boss Alvaro Arbeloa, and Arbeloa refuted that claim. Jose Mourinho’s return to Real Madrid was also confirmed in the same article, adding another change at the club while Mbappe’s role is under scrutiny.
For Chelsea, the Alonso hire intersects with a forward line that is still being sorted. The club are keen to offload Nicolas Jackson following his loan spell with Bayern Munich, while Joao Pedro has made the No.9 spot his own this season with 15 goals and eight assists in 34 top flight appearances.
Chelsea and Arsenal
Arsenal also sit in the background of the same chase. They came close to signing Mbappe in 2016 and 2017 when Arsene Wenger was in charge, and Mbappe later chose Paris Saint-Germain when he left AS Monaco.
Chelsea now have the clearer managerial connection, and that is the practical change for the club’s recruitment picture. Alonso arrives with a relationship that already exists, Mbappe is entering a summer when Madrid could move him on, and Chelsea’s own striking situation gives them a reason to keep the door open.
