How Xabi Alonso's £270m signings fared as Chelsea plan major transfer splurge
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Chelsea have appointed Xabi Alonso as their new manager and are set to hand him a gigantic transfer budgetChelsea look prepared to place huge faith in Xabi Alonso, with plans to back him in the transfer market this summer. Latest Blues news and more on our dedicated Facebook pageREAD MORE: 'I've played under Mourinho, Pochettino and Conte but Man City's next manager is much better'READ MORE: Xabi Alonso told Liverpool job could've been his if he 'sat tight' before Chelsea agreementWith that in mind, we are revisiting the signings Alonso has made throughout his short managerial career to assess what they suggest about his recruitment style - and what Chelsea might expect in the upcoming window.
So far, Alonso has spent just over £270m as a manager, a figure that could more than double this summer.2022/23 - Bayer LeverkusenNoah Mbamba (£86,000)Patrick Pentz (free)Gustavo Puerta (£1.7m)Although he joined Bayer Leverkusen midway through a season where the club were stuck in the relegation zone, Alonso chose not to radically reshape the squad in the January window. The effect was immediate, with a noticeable rise in performances as Leverkusen won 11 of their final 15 Bundesliga matches from November to April, climbing to sixth place and finishing strongly.2023/24 - Bayer LeverkusenAlex Grimaldo (free)Arthur (£6m)Jonas Hofmann (£8.6m)Granit Xhaka (£21.7m)Victor Boniface (£17.3m)Matej Kovar (£4.3m)Josip Stanisic (loan)Nathan Tella (£20.2m)In contrast to his cautious winter approach, Alonso delivered a standout summer recruitment window ahead of his first full campaign.
Alonso's side dominated the Bundesliga, winning the club's first league title along with the DFB-Pokal to complete an unprecedented unbeaten domestic double.2024/25 - Bayer LeverkusenJeanuel Belocian (£13m)Andrea Natali (free)Aleix Garcia (£15.5m)Martin Terrier (£17.3m)Nordi Mukiele (loan)Emi Buendia (loan)Mario Hermoso (loan)By 2024/25, Alonso's focus had shifted away from rebuilding the starting XI toward strengthening squad depth for a demanding Champions League season. Even so, the new additions allowed Alonso to rotate heavily, keeping the team competitive across all competitions and firmly established among Europe's elite.2025/26 - Real MadridDean Huijsen (£54.3m)Trent Alexander-Arnold (£9m)Alvaro Carreras (£43.5m)Franco Mastantuono (£39m)After taking over at the Bernabeu, Alonso focused on modernising Real Madrid's squad through a youth-driven recruitment strategy.