Who managed Chelsea in its 2026–27 Premier League opening-round match?

Xabi Alonso managed Chelsea in its 2026–27 Premier League opening-round match.

Chelsea visited Fulham at Craven Cottage on Monday, 24 August 2026, and won 3–2. Alonso had been appointed Chelsea manager on 1 July 2026 after Calum McFarlane’s interim spell ended.

The fixture produced a Spanish coaching connection: Fulham were managed by Álvaro Arbeloa. Alonso and Arbeloa had both been professional footballers and had worked together at Real Madrid, making the London derby an especially notable managerial meeting.

This question concerns Chelsea’s manager, not Fulham’s. The two clubs’ dugouts featured different former Spanish players, so Arbeloa is a plausible but incorrect answer for Chelsea. Alonso’s appointment was one of several major managerial changes among Premier League clubs before the season began.