Jamie Gittens announces Chelsea's fight for every trophy: a new era under Xabi Alonso begins in Sydney
Jamie Gittens has declared that Chelsea will enter the 2026/27 season with the ambition of winning every domestic trophy, including returning to the race for the English league title. The 21-year-old winger made the statement during the London club's preparations in Sydney, where new head coach Xabi Alonso is laying the foundations for a season intended to bring an end to a period of inconsistent results. Chelsea finished the previous league campaign in tenth place and failed to qualify for European competition, but Gittens believes that outcome could give the team the opportunity to focus fully on the Premier League, the FA Cup and the League Cup. His message is clear: the club's standards should not be reduced to gradual progress, but should involve a genuine fight for titles.
According to comments reported by The Times and beIN Sports, Gittens described the mood within the squad as extremely positive and stressed that the players want to become better, more successful and competitive in every competition. "We want to win everything," he said, summarising the dressing room's ambition and identifying the Premier League and the FA Cup as the main objectives. Although Chelsea are not among the leading favourites for the title before the start of the season, the young Englishman believes that the squad already possesses individual quality. He considers the key challenge to be transforming that quality into a united team capable of reproducing the required level of performance week after week. That will be the first major test for Alonso, who arrived at Stamford Bridge with a reputation as a coach capable of combining tactical precision, intensity and a winning culture.
Morgan Rogers as a symbol of the new ambition
At the heart of Gittens' message is the arrival of Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa. On 21 July, Chelsea officially confirmed that the 23-year-old England international had signed a contract running until 2033, while The Times reported that the transfer was worth £117 million. The club did not disclose the official fee, but British media outlets have described the deal as a record transfer for Chelsea and the highest sum ever paid for a British footballer. Such a major financial and sporting move further raises expectations ahead of a season in which the club will have no European commitments behind which it could conceal potential weaknesses in domestic competitions.
Gittens believes that Rogers' arrival can raise the standards of the entire squad and bring Chelsea closer to winning titles. The two know each other from England's youth national teams, while Rogers arrives in London after establishing himself as one of the Premier League's most effective young attacking players. According to figures published by Chelsea, he was involved in 40 goals across 85 league appearances for Aston Villa, combining goals and assists. Last season, he won the Europa League with the Birmingham club, and since making his senior England debut in November 2024, he has earned 22 caps and was part of the national team at the 2026 World Cup.
Rogers' value to Alonso's project is not limited to a single position. He can operate behind the striker, on the wing or as a player who carries the ball from the spaces between the lines into the final third, thereby increasing the number of possible combinations within the team. His arrival also creates additional competition for Gittens, Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto, Estevão Willian and the other attacking players in Chelsea's deep squad. Gittens, however, does not portray competition as a threat, but as a mechanism that should force every player to reach a higher level. At a club seeking to become a contender for the biggest trophies once again, a place in the starting line-up will not be guaranteed even to the most expensive or most famous players.
Gittens seeks a fresh start after a difficult first season
For Gittens himself, the new season also has a strong personal dimension. Chelsea signed him from Borussia Dortmund in July 2025 and tied him to a contract until 2032, after he had gained experience in the Bundesliga and the Champions League in Germany. In his first season in London, he made 27 appearances in all competitions, but started only 12 matches. According to statistics reported by beIN Sports, he scored one goal, in the League Cup, and recorded five assists. Those numbers did not match the expectations created by the transfer or the potential of a player who had been recognised in Dortmund's team for his acceleration, dribbling and ability to attack space from the left side.
The biggest problem was a hamstring injury, the first serious muscular injury of his senior career. Gittens admitted that the recovery process was a major challenge and that he was unable to consistently show his best level last season. During the summer break, he trained individually in Portugal and Marbella, attempting to prepare himself physically for the demands of the new campaign. In Sydney, he said that he now feels considerably better, has regained his confidence and no longer has any hamstring problems. His objective is to convince the coaching staff and the supporters that the occasional flashes seen during his first season were only a preview of what he can deliver when fully fit.
Such an approach will be essential because Alonso traditionally demands more from his wide players than isolated moments of individual brilliance. In his teams, well-timed movement without the ball, pressing after possession is lost, combinations with the full-backs and rapid decision-making in the final third are all important. Gittens' natural qualities suit a game played in open space, but to secure a consistent place he will have to prove that he can be equally useful against opponents who defend deep. The new season is therefore not only an opportunity for him to improve his statistics, but also a test of his tactical maturity.
Alonso takes charge after a turbulent year
Chelsea appointed Alonso on 17 May, and his four-year contract officially began on 1 July 2026. The Spanish coach inherited a club following a season marked by changes in the dugout. Enzo Maresca left his position during the winter, Liam Rosenior took charge of the team in January and was then dismissed in April after only 106 days, according to The Guardian. An interim coaching staff led the team during the closing stages of the season, but the decline in results was not halted. According to the official Premier League table, Chelsea finished tenth with 52 points, recording 14 wins, ten draws and 14 defeats, with a goal difference of 58:52.
That performance was especially disappointing because the team remained in contention for European qualification until the final matchday. Tenth place left Chelsea outside the continental competitions, behind Brighton and Brentford, although only one point separated eighth and tenth positions in the final table. The absence of European football reduces the number of matches and journeys, but at the same time removes one of the usual excuses for a lack of freshness or training time. Gittens acknowledged that playing one match per week can be mentally demanding because footballers want a constant competitive rhythm, but he believes the additional days on the training ground could help Alonso implement his ideas more quickly.
The new head coach has already emphasised a culture of hard work, the quality of daily decisions and shared responsibility in his first public statements. In an official interview with Chelsea, he said that success should be the consequence of good work, clear standards and an environment in which the maximum is extracted from every individual. That message aligns with Gittens' insistence on collective play: Chelsea possess players capable of deciding a match through an individual action, but the previous season showed that a collection of talented individuals does not automatically create a stable team.
Leverkusen experience as the foundation of expectations
Alonso's greatest coaching reference remains his work at Bayer Leverkusen. Under his leadership, the club won the first German league title in its history in the 2023/24 season and became the first team to complete an entire Bundesliga campaign without defeat. Leverkusen also won the German Cup that season, while the Bundesliga's official website states that the team achieved a European record of 51 consecutive matches without defeat in all competitions. The run ended only in the Europa League final against Atalanta, but the domestic double confirmed Alonso's ability to transform a team that had spent years failing to reach the summit into disciplined champions.
After leaving Germany, he took charge of Real Madrid in June 2025, but the partnership ended by mutual agreement on 12 January 2026, the Spanish club announced. That experience did not last according to the original three-year plan, but in explaining his appointment, Chelsea highlighted his coaching quality, playing model, leadership and ability to work in a demanding environment. As a player, Alonso also won the biggest trophies with Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern and the Spanish national team, meaning he enters the dressing room with the authority of someone who understands the pressure of fighting for titles.
Nevertheless, transferring Leverkusen's model to Chelsea will not be straightforward. The English club has a broader and more expensive squad, a large number of young players, fierce internal competition and an environment in which results are assessed from week to week. Alonso will have to establish the hierarchy quickly, manage playing time and find a system that makes maximum use of Rogers, Palmer, Gittens and the other attacking options. His success in Germany demonstrates what his work can produce, but last season's tenth-place finish is a reminder of the considerable gap between potential and actual performance.
Sydney as the starting point of the new season
Chelsea began their preparations for the season with a tour of Australia and Asia, with the first part of the programme taking place in Sydney. According to the club's official schedule, the team will play Western Sydney Wanderers at Accor Stadium on 28 July, followed by a match against Tottenham at the same venue on 1 August. The meeting with their London rivals will be particularly interesting because it will be the first time the two teams have faced each other outside the United Kingdom. After Australia, Chelsea will continue their tour in Asia before returning to London for the final preparations ahead of the start of the Premier League season.
The pre-season matches will not provide definitive answers about Chelsea's capabilities, but they may reveal the first outlines of Alonso's team. Particular attention will be paid to the roles of Rogers and Gittens, the way the wide players contribute to the press and how quickly the team reacts after losing possession. For Gittens, these fixtures are an opportunity to confirm his physical readiness in a competitive rhythm and gain an advantage in the battle for minutes. For Rogers, they represent his first steps at his new club and the beginning of his adaptation to teammates who will expect him to make an immediate impact.
Chelsea therefore enter the new season with an unusual combination of relief and pressure. They have been freed from a European schedule, have more time to work and have signed a player expected to raise the level of the attack immediately. At the same time, after a tenth-place finish, major investment and yet another change of head coach, the room for patience will be limited. Gittens' declaration that Chelsea will fight for every trophy may sound highly ambitious, but it accurately reflects the expectations surrounding a club of such financial strength and history. Whether those words become a realistic sporting programme will depend on how quickly Alonso can turn a group of talented players into a functional and reliable team.
For Gittens, the path towards becoming part of that team is very concrete: stay healthy, earn his place and transform potential into goals, assists and consistency. Rogers' arrival makes his battle for a starting position more difficult, but it also improves the quality of the environment in which he must prove himself. That is precisely the kind of competition major clubs need when they want to win trophies. Chelsea will offer the first answers in Sydney, while the true significance of Gittens' announcement will become visible only when the league matches begin and ambition is confronted by the pressure of results.
Sources:
- The Times – interview with Jamie Gittens, assessment of Morgan Rogers' transfer value and Chelsea's ambitions for the 2026/27 season (link)
- beIN Sports – Gittens' comments, statistics from the 2025/26 season and information about his recovery from a hamstring injury (link)
- Chelsea FC – official confirmation of Morgan Rogers' transfer, the duration of his contract and information about his performances for Aston Villa and England (link)
- Chelsea FC – official confirmation of Xabi Alonso's appointment and details of his four-year contract (link)
- Chelsea FC – schedule of the pre-season tour and matches in Sydney (link)
- Premier League – official final table for the 2025/26 season and Chelsea's record (link)
- Bundesliga – information about Bayer Leverkusen's unbeaten season and Alonso's record-breaking run (link)
- Real Madrid – official announcement concerning the mutual termination of the partnership with Xabi Alonso in January 2026 (link)
- The Guardian – report on Liam Rosenior's departure and the context surrounding Chelsea's managerial change (link)