A slight smile started to grow on Enzo Maresca’s face when he was asked if Chelsea are “ready” for the start of the 2025/26 season. In ordinary circumstances, a manager would answer with an emphatic “yes”, but this was an extraordinary case for the Blues.
The truth is, he didn’t know. The former Chelsea head coach was asked prior to the Blues’ season opener against Crystal Palace in August, some 282 days ago, whether his squad were “ready” to compete at the highest level once again.
“We guess we are ready, but we need to wait for the real competition to verify that,” said Maresca. “As you said, it has been quite a short break. We are going to try to be ready.”
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There’s a short break, and then there’s the 22-day period Chelsea had off (from the Club World Cup final to their return to training last summer). They were unprecedented circumstances following the inaugural edition of the modified Club World Cup. Nobody knew what to expect.
Yet there was cause for optimism – it all started so well. So well that the Blues climbed to second-place in the Premier League table in late-November. So well that Maresca was having to dismiss some people getting too carried away with title race shouts.
At the start of the season, it always felt like Chelsea were still hyped up from their Club World Cup triumph and eventually it would die down. Like when you wake up after a night of drinking alcohol and the hangover has not quite kicked in yet.
The hangover did kick in – and in brutal fashion – over the December period, typical of Chelsea, and that’s when a once promising season turned into absolute chaos at Stamford Bridge. That wasn’t the sole reason for Chelsea’s miserable campaign – there were a multitude – but it did not help.
Defeat in Leeds on December 3 was the kickstarter for a tumultuous month for the Blues on and off the pitch. Then came that now-infamous “worst 48 hours” rant.
As 2026 fell upon us, Maresca was gone before some had even said their New Year’s resolutions. The Italian fell out with the club’s board and the relationship between the two parties became so damaged, they reached a mutual agreement to go their separate ways.
Liam Rosenior seemed destined to take over from Maresca, after a brief interim spell for Calum McFarlane, and so it proved. The former Strasbourg head coach had experience of working with BlueCo and people connected the dots. Some described it – perhaps harshly – as a ‘company hire’. Rosenior penned a six-and-a-half-year contract at Stamford Bridge but after a miserable run of form, he was let go less than four months into his reign.
McFarlane took the reins until the end of the season and got a bit of a tune out of the Chelsea players on the odd occasion. Truthfully, though, and worryingly, a lot of the squad seemed like they were already checked out.
Joao Pedro apologised to the travelling supporters at the Stadium of Light on Sunday evening, after Chelsea’s season-concluding 2-1 defeat to Sunderland that ensured they will not be taking part in any European competition next term. The Brazilian, who scored 20 goals in his debut season in west London, was perhaps the last player in blue that needed to say sorry. Either way, fair play to the 24-year-old forward for facing up to the fans.
Enzo Fernandez could be seen clearly waving towards the away end after the full-time whistle in what could be interpreted as his farewell. A summer of speculation around the Argentine midfielder awaits after his bombshell comments during the March international break.
There was no such waving from Marc Cucurella, but like Fernandez, he is set for a summer of uncertainty around his future following his interview a couple of months ago.
The truth is: there are more than a few players that need to be shipped on in the upcoming summer transfer window. I’m going to get onto who they are exactly later in the week right here on football.london but now’s not the time.
This Chelsea squad, highlighted by their 11th red card (including Maresca’s) of the season at Sunderland, lack the mental fortitude to compete at the level BlueCo want them to. BlueCo are aware of that, and they are going to try and address that this summer.
Chelsea will be targeting ready-made players, sources say, this summer to come in and hit the ground running. While the ownership group/sporting leadership team will not completely deviate away from their youth-focused transfer policy, there will be tweaks to try and get the club back on track because 2025/26 feels like two giant steps back after making progress in 2024/25.
Xabi Alonso will be at the front and centre of that but it won’t be easy. The Spaniard, who begins his role as manager on July 1, has an almighty challenge ahead of him at Stamford Bridge but he knew that when he agreed a four-year contract earlier in the month.
A culture reset is needed at Chelsea. They want Alonso to spearhead that. Back when Alonso was appointed, sources told football.london the club believe the 44-year-old is the ideal candidate to come into Cobham and build a culture. Not just a team on the pitch, but a united group away from it. The club’s sporting directors believe that is a fundamental part to achieving modern-day success in football.
It might not seem like it after that gut-wrenching defeat to Sunderland on Sunday, but there are reasons to be excited from a Chelsea point of view. Alonso is the main reason to be optimistic.
As mentioned, it is not going to be straightforward but if Chelsea are prepared to back their new leader in every aspect, and there is nothing to suggest that won’t be the case, then good times may not be too far away.
Anyway, nine months on from that Crystal Palace draw in August, two managerial changes, a truly astonishing Maresca press conference, two bombshell interviews from players, a few fan protests and a million corner goals (across the Premier League) later, the season is over. Thank the lord for that.
Over to you, Xabi.
