Calum McFarlane

Calum McFarlane (born 13 November 1985) is an English professional football coach who is the current assistant manager of Premier League club Chelsea.

Prior to his time at Chelsea, McFarlane held assistant manager positions at non-league sides Croydon and Whyteleafe as well as youth team positions at Manchester City and Southampton.

Managerial career Croydon McFarlane was assistant manager of non-league side Croydon.

Whyteleafe In 2018, Croydon first team head coach Harry Hudson departed for Whyteleafe, taking McFarlane with him.

Manchester City In 2020, Whyteleafe announced that McFarlane would be departing for Manchester City. He served an assistant role in the Manchester City Academy until 2023.

Southampton McFarlane left City to join the Southampton Academy, leading the Under-18s until 2025. In February 2025, he became head coach of the club's Under-21s.

Chelsea

McFarlane departed Southampton in July 2025 when he became the coach of Chelsea's Under-21s, while also leading the Under-19s during their 2025–26 UEFA Youth League campaign. McFarlane became the interim manager of the club ahead of their Premier League fixture against Manchester City, resulting in a 1–1 draw. On 6 January, Chelsea named Liam Rosenior as their full-time manager. However, McFarlane remained in charge of Chelsea's league match against Fulham.

On 8 January 2026, it was announced that McFarlane would join the backroom staff of new head coach Liam Rosenior. When Rosenior was dismissed on 22 April 2026, McFarlane was once again promoted to interim head coach until the end of the season.

On 26 April 2026, McFarlane achieved his first win as Chelsea manager, guiding the club to a 1–0 win over Leeds United in the FA Cup semi-final. He thus became the first English manager to reach the FA Cup final since Frank Lampard in 2020, also with Chelsea. McFarlane's Chelsea side were defeated 1–0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup Final.

Managerial statistics

Honours Chelsea FA Cup runner-up: 2025–26