Liam Rosenior’s reign at Chelsea came to an end on Wednesday with the club deciding to sack their Head Coach less than 24 hours after the 3-0 defeat to Brighton.
The loss at the Amex Stadium saw Chelsea lose five league games in a row without scoring for the first time since 1912.
The dismal result on the south coast was the culmination of weeks of turmoil at Stamford Bridge which has seen Chelsea slip to eighth in the Premier League.
The Blues are all but out of contention for finishing in the Champions League places and now face a fight on their hands to qualify for Europe altogether next season.
The task of securing European football for the next campaign now falls on Calum McFarlane, who has been placed in interim charge of the side until the end of the season.
The former academy coach, who took charge of the team for two games following Enzo Maresca’s exit, will be keeping the Chelsea manager hotseat warm until an appointment is made this summer.
The new manager will be the sixth permanent boss of the BlueCo ownership’s spell, having churned through Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, Maresca and now Rosenior.
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The turbulence of the ownership’s reign has become a source of immense discontent amongst the club’s fanbase, with anti-BlueCo songs heard once again during the Brighton game.
Next permanent manager odds
According to bookmakers Betfair, former Chelsea left back Filipe Luis is the favourite to become the next permanent manager at 13/8.
The 40 year-old impressed in his first role in management at Flamengo, winning a host of trophies including the Brazilian league title and the Copa Libertadores, before leaving the club back in March.
Luis also held talks with BlueCo earlier this year over a move to Strasbourg, with the secret discussions said to be part of the reason behind his exit from the Brazilian giants.
Andoni Iraola, who will be leaving Bournemouth this summer, is the second favourite ahead of former Chelsea star and current Como boss Cesc Fabregas.
McFarlane has been installed as the fourth favourite to take the job full-time, ahead of the likes of Oliver Glasner, Xavi and Marco Silva.
Frank Lampard is currently priced at 9/1, although an emotional return to west London feels unlikely for the club legend.
Lampard has only just returned Coventry to the Premier League after a 25-year absence, winning the Championship title in style with 26 wins from their 44 games to date.
Chelsea manager for the start of the 2026/27 Premier League season
Filipe Luis – 13/8
Andoni Iraola – 2/1
Cesc Fabregas – 10/3
Calum McFarlane 10/3
Oliver Glasner – 5/1
Xavi Hernandez – 15/2
Marco Silva – 9/1
Frank Lampard – 9/1
Unai Emery – 14/1
Julian Nagelsmann – 14/1
Fabian Hurzeler – 16/1
Xabi Alonso – 16/1
Luis Enrique – 20/1
Odds via Betfair
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