Calum McFarlane: Who Is Chelsea’s Manager Until the End of the Season?

The Englishman inherits a floundering Chelsea side yet again.

Calum McFarlane is back at the helm of the first team. | Chelsea Football Club/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

For the second time this season, Calum McFarlane is temporarily back in the dugout for Chelsea to see through the end of what has been a turbulent 2025–26 campaign at Stamford Bridge.

Less than 24 hours after Chelsea suffered an embarrassing 3–0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion, the club cut ties with Liam Rosenior just 106 days into his six-and-a-half year contract with the west London outfit. The defeat was the Blues’ fifth in a row in the Premier League and seventh in their last eight across all competitions.

Rosenior, who was appointed Enzo Maresca’s successor in January, is now the fifth permanent manager to lose his job in the four years of BlueCo’s ownership. While Chelsea scour the market for the next long-term suitor to command their touchline, they confirmed McFarlane will fill the now-vacant position until the end of the campaign.

He might not have a résumé that jumps off the page, but McFarlane at least has experience at the helm of Chelsea.

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Who Is Calum McFarlane, Chelsea’s New Manager?

Calum McFarlane previously managed the Blues in January. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Before McFarlane joined the ranks at Chelsea, he made a name for himself at Manchester City’s academy. He eventually worked his way to becoming an assistant manager of the Citizens’ U-18 squad in 2021 and held the position until he joined Southampton in 2023.

During his two-year stint with the Saints, McFarlane managed the club’s U-18 side and eventually the U-21s before he joined Chelsea’s academy, where he ultimately went on to manage the U-21s in 2025–26.

The 40-year-old’s stint with the Blues’ youth system was short-lived because he suddenly was thrust onto the touchline at Stamford Bridge to serve as interim manager following Maresca’s sudden departure. McFarlane was at the helm of the senior team for two games at the start of the year before Rosenior took over.

Instead of returning to the U-21 side, the Englishman stayed with the first team as an assistant on Rosenior’s staff. Now, McFarlane is once again being tasked with filling in for another departed Chelsea manager.

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McFarlane’s Record With Chelsea

Calum McFarlane is searching for his first win at the helm of Chelsea. | Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside/Getty Images

There’s only a small sample size to judge McFarlane’s past experience with Chelsea, and the results are not all that impressive upon first glance. The manager oversaw the Blues’ 1–1 draw with Mann City on Jan. 4 and then the team’s 2–1 defeat to Fulham on Jan. 7.

Yet Chelsea’s draw with the title-chasers was a major feat, one that featured a last-gasp winner from Enzo Fernández to snatch a point at the Etihad. For comparison, the next time they faced off with Man City in April, they suffered a dismal 3–0 defeat at home.

Against Fulham, McFarlane’s side was primmed for disaster when Marc Cucurella was sent off just 22 minutes into the contest. The Blues went down 1–0, but managed to claw their way back into the game through Liam Delap’s equalizer in the 72nd minute.

The undermanned visitors could not hold out until the final whistle, though, and ultimately left Fulham without anything to show for their hard-fought effort.

Four months later, McFarlane gets to add to his record with Chelsea as he hopes to get the struggling side back to winning ways. He will return to the dugout for the team’s FA Cup semifinal clash with Leeds United on Sunday before turning his attention to the Premier League, where the seventh-place side is fighting to qualify for Europe next season.

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