Who is Calum McFarlane? From non league to Chelsea head coach

Who is Calum McFarlane? From non league to Chelsea head coach

Calum McFarlane has been charged with leading Chelsea as head coach until the end of the season following Liam Rosenior’s sacking.

Rosenior was relieved of his duties following a 3-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday, which has left the club’s hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League hanging by a thread.

McFarlane will be tasked with ensuring the Blues finish inside the top five and, most immediately, reaching the FA Cup final. They take on Leeds United at Wembley this Sunday.

Here is everything you need to know about the interim boss and his coaching journey up to now.

Who is Calum McFarlane? Chelsea head coach’s journey to date:

McFarlane joined Chelsea as a academy coach in July last year, but his coaching career began at non-league Croydon where he was assistant manager. In 2018, he followed first team head coach Harry Hudson to Whyteleafe.

Two years later, the club announced that McFarlane would be joining Manchester City, where he served as an assistant in the academy until 2023. It was there where the Englishman crossed paths with Chelsea’s academy technical director Glenn van de Kraan, who moved to the west London outfit in 2024.

McFarlane lead Southampton’s U18’s side until 2025 and became head coach of their U21’s squad in February of that year, before moving to the capital in the summer.

Read – Fulham boss Marco Silva coy on Chelsea speculation

The 40-year-old impressed the Chelsea hierarchy during his stint with the academy, winning 11 of his 21 matches in charge.