Chelsea press conference LIVE: Xabi Alonso appointment after FA Cup final, Tottenham clash

Chelsea interim head coach Calum McFarlane takes his pre-match press conference ahead of the Blues' clash with Tottenham this week, with the questions set to be all about Xabi Alonso

Hello and welcome to football.london for live coverage of Calum McFarlane's pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea 's Premier League clash with Tottenham on Tuesday evening.

The Blues welcome Spurs to Stamford Bridge in their penultimate league match of the 2025/26 campaign. After a devastating FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City on Saturday afternoon, the mood around the Chelsea fan base was quickly lifted with the news that a deal for Xabi Alonso to become the club's new permanent manager had been agreed.

Just over 12 hours after we learned an agreement over a four-year contract had been reached, the Blues officially announced Alonso as Liam Rosenior's permanent successor on Monday morning. Alonso will not start in his role officially until July 1, meaning McFarlane, as was always the plan, will take charge of the final two matches of the season.

Even with such a big match against Spurs on the horizon, this morning's press conference is set to be dominated by the subject of Alonso. Bobby Vincent is live in Cobham throughout the day to bring you every word the interim Chelsea head coach has to say.

Key Events

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McFarlane has arrived

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Good morning!

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A full transcript will be online shortly.

Players excited about Alonso?

Everyone is excited. He's a great coach, won major trophies, a great playing career. He will have lots of respect from everyone. We're very excited.

Are you going to be part of Alonso's backroom staff?

I don't know at this moment in time.

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Spoken to Alonso?

He sent me a text message yesterday, I will keep that private, but mainly about the final.

Players understand the importance of Chelsea v Spurs?

The players have showed fight and heart in the last two games. For me, that's not an issue. Everyone knows about the rivalry but both teams also have lots to play for. Both teams are fighting for the points, so we shouldn't need to add extra motivation but it will naturally be there.

Lavia, Sarr and Badiashile

Romeo took a slight knock in the build-up to the game, nothing major. With Romeo, we don't want to take that risk. We need to be careful. Benoit and Mamadou didn't make the squad - we can use them in the next two games potentially. We have a lot of players in their position.

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Colwill performances

It's been great to have Levi back - great for English football as well. We have a really talented, high potential player here. To perform away at Anfield and in the FA Cup final, we're all really excited about Levi.

Spurs challenge

We're very, very focused. We need to win the next two games to give ourselves the best chance to finish as high in the table as possible and get European football.

Can Colwill start again?

We need to be careful with Levi. He's performed well in those two games. We'll see how he looks today.

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Any more team news?

They're gonna train this afternoon and we will have a much better idea of where they are.

Want to work with Xabi on backroom staff?

I haven't thought about that. There's so much to prepare for.

How big Chelsea are to attract Alonso

It doesn't surprise me, we're a massive club with some of the best players in the world.

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Alonso appointment

Really exciting news. Great coach with a massive pedigree. We're all really looking forward to working with Xabi.

McFarlane has arrived

Live updates to follow...

Running late

Still no sign of McFarlane here...

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Alonso can help Chelsea this summer

Xabi Alonso commands respect - there is no question about that. Given everything the Spaniard has done in football, as a player and now a manager, surely this Chelsea squad will be buzzing to play under him.

That could help the west Londoners when it comes to their summer transfer business, as Bobby Vincent writes here.

Fancy a read about Alonso?

Then we've got you covered...

Bobby Vincent spent the majority of Saturday evening mustering up a 1000-plus-word article on the inside story of Chelsea's pursuit of Xabi Alonso. Why the Spaniard was the first-choice option for the Blues and why he is excited to get going at Stamford Bridge. All of that is down below.

Read more here.

Good morning!

Hello and welcome to football.london for live updates from Calum McFarlane's pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea vs Tottenham.

The Blues welcome Spurs to Stamford Bridge tomorrow evening for their penultimate game of the Premier League season, but today's press conference is set to be about something else.

Following the appointment of Xabi Alonso just over 24 hours ago, McFarlane is set to be asked tens of questions on the Spaniard arriving at Chelsea this summer.

Stay tuned for live updates from the upcoming press conference.

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