Xabi Alonso could make £18m player his first Chelsea signing

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Xabi Alonso is close to becoming manager of Chelsea.

The Blues have found a breakthrough in talks with the Spaniard – who Real Madrid sacked in January – and are on the verge of announcing his arrival on a deal running until July 2030, according to The Times.

A story from the Guardian adds that BlueCo have agreed to let Alonso have a ‘big say over signings’ once he arrives at Stamford Bridge – which makes us feel a move for Edmond Tapsoba may finally happen for Chelsea.

Why Chelsea could sign Edmond Tapsoba

Chelsea have admired the Burkina Faso international ever since 2021.

Tapsoba even spoke to Afriquesports about the interest, saying: “With Chelsea, for the moment, there is nothing concrete, nothing official. What I can say is that I will start my season with Bayer Leverkusen. We keep our fingers crossed for God to guide us to the right path.”

TEAMtalk then claimed in October 2023 that the centre-back was still on the radar of Chelsea.

Sources informed TBR Football as recently as March 2025 that Chelsea were still tracking Tapsoba along with Tottenham.

The Blues already have Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, Josh Acheampong and Jorrel Hato as options to play in the centre of defence, but having conceded 80 goals in 57 games across all competitions this season, something needs to change at the back.

Alonso loves Tapsoba, and we feel he could turn to the 27-year-old.

Besides Jonathan Tah, the 44-year-old has used the Burkina Faso star more than any other player in his managerial career so far, handing him 125 appearances while at Bayer Leverkusen as the pair won the Bundesliga title and the DFB-Pokal too.

Tapsoba – who Bayer Leverkusen signed from Vitoria de Guimaraes for €20.2m (£17.6m) back in January 2020 – has also spoken highly about Alonso in the past, calling him a “great man” as they made history in Germany by winning the 2023/24 Bundesliga title without losing a game.

The respect is mutual, with Alonso previously saying the man born in Ouagadougou has “quality” and “nerves to handle” football at the highest level.

Furthermore, the Sunday Mirror even claimed in March 2024 that Alonso would take Tapsoba to Anfield with him if Liverpool hired the Spaniard as a replacement for Jurgen Klopp, such is his admiration for the Bayer Leverkusen No.12 and his ability.

A deal may not be cheap for Chelsea considering the former Salitas star recently signed a new contract running until 2031.

However, Alonso will presumably look to fix the defence once he arrives at Chelsea, and what better signing for him to make than a trusted figure bang in the midst of his prime at the age of 27.