There is one person who will be encouraged by how Chelsea performed in the FA Cup final.
Incoming manager Xabi Alonso was surely watching on from somewhere and the showpiece occasion provided a reminder that he has some talent to work with.
Chelsea’s season has obviously been a great disappointment. The chance to limit the damage by winning the FA Cup has now gone. But by getting a deal for Alonso in place so quickly, the club have sent out a strong signal that they are already looking to the future. As far as fixing what has gone wrong over the past nine months, they have no time to lose.
The quality of the current squad has inevitably come under a lot of criticism, particularly from supporters, and rightly so.
Chelsea will not only end the campaign trophyless, they are in danger of finishing in the bottom half of the Premier League for the second time in four years. This is a group who lost six league games in a row for the first time since 1993 and last tasted victory in a top-division fixture at home on January 31.
Normally, such a dim return might make someone of Alonso’s calibre think twice about accepting the post, but clearly not. That tells you something.
It may be hard for supporters to think about, or even accept the notion of, any positives right now. However, there is a nucleus of gifted players to work with. It just needs the right man to inspire them. Chelsea clearly believe Alonso, who took Bayer Leverkusen to the double of league and cup in Germany two years ago, is that guy.
Despite the form book, the XI which started against Manchester City made Pep Guardiola’s side look distinctly average for long periods until Antoine Semenyo scored a goal worthy of winning any FA Cup final. There will be players on the losing side that Alonso will be delighted to build his Chelsea team around.
Two established graduates from the academy are among them, in captain Reece James and Levi Colwill. Due to the latter suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury on the first day of pre-season, this is the first occasion they have been in the first XI together since the FIFA Club World Cup final win over Paris Saint-Germain last July.
Colwill gave a reminder, in just his third appearance of 2025-26, why he is regarded as one of the finest defenders in the country. James is arguably the best footballer at the club when free of his own injury issues.
Moises Caicedo is an elite midfielder despite suffering a dip in 2026. The same goes for Enzo Fernandez, although his is a more complicated case. Unlike Caicedo, there has been no fresh contract agreed. Fernandez was critical of the club’s decision-making in March, too, as was another important senior figure in Marc Cucurella. Alonso has the stature to help the duo get back onside… if they want to be.
Will Alonso’s arrival increase the chances of Fernandez staying? (Photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images)
No one will dispute Cole Palmer has underwhelmed, yet that again is due to complications caused by injury rather than a lack of quality. Palmer was rather absent in the final third against Manchester City. Yet should Alonso get him playing like he was for the first 18 months as a Chelsea player, or when bewitching PSG’s defence last July, he can clearly make a big difference.
Chelsea’s summer transfer window last year was not a good one and played a significant role in how things have gone awry. Two of the primary disappointments, Liam Delap and Alejandro Garnacho, came on as late substitutes at Wembley Stadium and, once again, made no impact.
But Joao Pedro and Jorrel Hato are success stories. You could see Manchester City were concerned by Joao Pedro, who is fourth in the Premier League scoring charts despite not taking any penalties, every occasion the ball went near him. At just 20, Hato looked very composed again.
Much will be made of Chelsea’s lack of threat from wide as interim head coach Calum McFarlane opted to use full-backs Malo Gusto and Cucurella there. Had Estevao Willian not suffered a season-ending hamstring injury against Manchester United on April 18, you can be sure the dancing feet of the Brazilian would have been utilised instead.
Chelsea have already agreed a deal with Sporting CP to add gifted Portugal Under-21 international winger Geovany Quenda to the ranks. Significantly, Belgium international Mike Penders is in contention to replace Rob Sanchez to become the new No 1 after impressing on loan at Strasbourg.
It is the least everyone should expect, but at least Chelsea made a fight of it and did not roll over like they did when losing to the same opposition 3-0 in the league on April 12. They showed Alonso that resilience and character can be found. The new manager just has to make sure they do not pick and choose when they do it.
No one connected to the club, not even Alonso, will be fooled. Chelsea’s squad lacks strength in depth and more quality needs to be added. The next transfer window is a very important one. They will not have the prestige of Champions League football or the financial rewards to attract new arrivals, either. In fact, there is a very real possibility of no European football at all, because they sit ninth in the table with two matches to go.
But you can be sure that is one of the reasons why Alonso is on board already. His stature from a playing career with Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Spain will help compensate. Players will want to play for Alonso, despite his reign at Real Madrid ending in January after only being appointed 12 months ago. A lack of European football would at least give him more time to get his ideas across on the training ground, as well as giving more rest to a squad who also played at the Club World Cup last summer.
Unlike his predecessors in the Todd Boehly-Clearlake era, Alonso has the job title of manager. He will work closely with the sporting directors and hierarchy with the recruitment.
Alonso is expected to be given more of a voice in recruitment alongside Chelsea’s ownership and sporting executives (Photo: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Previous head coaches have been involved in the process under this consortium before. But Alonso’s status as manager suggests a chance of greater input. It also suggests Chelsea have learned some lessons from a frustrating season.
Club sources, speaking anonymously to The Athletic to protect relationships, say that Alonso is already aligned with the club on squad development and what is required in the market. And that, like the club, Alonso agrees there is quality to work with and that there are areas to improve and strengthen.
While clearly disappointed at missing out on the chance of lifting the FA Cup in just his sixth game as an interim head coach, McFarlane certainly thinks that Chelsea’s next permanent head coach has something to build on.
He said: “We know what this team’s capable of, they need to produce that on a more consistent basis and they have shown that this year that, when they are at their best, they’re a very difficult side to play against.
“It is a really talented group, lots of quality in that group, the fight and heart has been questioned at times but the last two performances (including the 1-1 draw at Liverpool), I don’t think you can question that. I think they gave everything today to try and win that trophy for the club.”
The hard work to turn Chelsea into serial winners again starts here. But at least Alonso is not starting from scratch.