Calum McFarlane has been named interim manager of Chelsea until the end of the 2025/26 campaign, marking his second temporary return to the first-team dugout this season. The club confirmed the move as Chelsea continue a search for a long-term replacement following the latest change in the touchline setup.

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. With Rosenior departing, Chelsea confirmed McFarlane will fill the now-vacant position until the end of the campaign.

McFarlane’s profile is rooted in youth coaching. He made his name within Manchester City’s academy and became an assistant manager of the Citizens’ U-18 squad in 2021. He remained in that role until a move to Southampton in 2023, where he spent two years managing the club’s U-18 side and then the U-21s.

He later joined Chelsea’s academy and went on to manage the U-21s in 2025–26. The 40-year-old was suddenly thrust onto the senior touchline earlier in the season following Maresca’s sudden departure and led the first team for two matches at the start of the year before Rosenior took over. Instead of returning to the U-21 side after Rosenior’s appointment, McFarlane stayed with the first team as an assistant on Rosenior’s staff.

The sample of McFarlane’s work with the senior side is small and produced mixed outcomes. He oversaw the Blues’ 1–1 draw with Manchester City on Jan. 4 and then a 2–1 defeat to Fulham on Jan. 7. The draw at the Etihad featured a last-gasp winner from Enzo Fernández to snatch a point. Chelsea’s next meeting with Manchester City in April resulted in a 3–0 home defeat.

The Fulham match highlighted the volatility of those early games: Marc Cucurella was sent off 22 minutes into the contest, the Blues fell behind, but Liam Delap’s equalizer in the 72nd minute briefly steadied the performance. McFarlane now faces the task of steadying a turbulent season while the club evaluates its long-term managerial direction.

Chelsea’s teenage winger Estêvão faces fresh uncertainty after a hamstring problem forced him off early in the club’s recent defeat to Manchester United. The player had started just five of Chelsea’s last 16 Premier League matches following an initial muscle injury in December and missed six games across February and March. He was also granted compassionate leave at the end of January for undisclosed personal reasons.

Selected for a second consecutive league start in Liam Rosenior’s XI for Saturday’s visit of Manchester United, Estêvão lasted 16 minutes before being replaced by Alejandro Garnacho and Chelsea went on to lose the match. The setback came shortly after he had recovered from a previous hamstring issue, a sequence that left him visibly upset on the day.

“He was crying at halftime,” Rosenior told reporters afterwards.

“Really devastated for him. It looks like it’s his hamstring and that’s a moment actually when he’s running through on their goal for a one-v-one and pulls his hamstring in that moment. “

The club have not disclosed the severity of the injury. Determining how long Estêvão will be sidelined depends on the exact nature of the hamstring damage, with recovery times varying widely. Chelsea expect more clarity once swelling reduces and scans can be carried out, which is likely to happen this coming week.

Rosenior offered a simple hope for the youngster’s return: “I hope Estê comes back sooner rather than later.”

With the Premier League campaign finishing on May 24, and only five fixtures remaining, time is limited. Chelsea face a seven-point deficit to the current top five in the race to qualify for next season’s Champions League, and making up that gap in five matches will be close to impossible. Given the calendar and the uncertainty over the hamstring, it is plausible that Estêvão might not play again this season.

Cole Palmer has moved to silence speculation over his future, insisting he intends to remain at Chelsea as the club navigates a difficult season. The playmaker addressed persistent transfer talk and explained his focus remains on recovery and the team’s objectives.

On rumours linking him elsewhere, Palmer said: “Everyone just talks,” Palmer said abut the speculation on his future. “When I see it I just laugh. Obviously Manchester is my home. All my family are there, but I don’t miss it. Maybe I’ll miss it if I don’t go for three months or something. But then when I get home I think there’s nothing there for me anyway.

He was clear about his immediate plans: “I’ve got no plans to move from Chelsea . We’ve still got a lot to play for. We’ve got the FA Cup semifinal and if we finish in a Champions League spot it puts us in a good position to sign players that we need.”

The club’s project has faced scrutiny following the departure of former manager Enzo Maresca and a run of disappointing results. Senior players Enzo Fernández and Marc Cucurella publicly questioned the project and hinted at potentially leaving the club, with the former receiving a two-game internal suspension for comments alluding to a move to Real Madrid. Chelsea also dropped out of this season’s Champions League after a last-16 elimination by Paris Saint-Germain and currently sit sixth in the Premier League, four points off the Champions League places after one win in their last seven.

Palmer acknowledged the inconsistency: “It has been an inconsistent season for whatever reason,” Palmer declared. “It’s just about, in my opinion, getting the right players in to help us kick on.

He defended the process around the managerial change: “Bringing a manager in mid-season, you have no preseason, hardly have time to train. You’re just focusing on games. But the manager is good and when he has a proper preseason and gets his ideas across properly and the way he wants to play he’s a top coach.

Palmer also laid out the impact of a prolonged groin problem on his form. “I didn’t know how long I was going to be out for,” Palmer revealed. “I went to see a specialist and he said 10 to 12 weeks. Then I was playing when I was injured because I was out for 12 weeks and it was still not better.

“I’ve never been injured like this before. I’m sat there on the side for over three months. I came back in early December, Leeds away. I came on for 30 minutes, and I couldn’t even sprint. But I wanted to play so much. I was trying to play and it was just too strange. I didn’t know how to manage it.

“I’m all right now. It’s just about finding rhythm and performing again. It’s not just going to disappear. I’ve not lost all my ability. I’ve been injured.”

Since joining Chelsea from Man City in the summer of 2023, Palmer has committed long term to the club with a contract running until 2033. He said talks with ownership, and discussions alongside key team-mates such as Reece James, leave him optimistic that targeted summer additions could return Chelsea to serious trophy contention.

“It’s something we’re working on together [with ownership],” Palmer said. “We’re on the same page. We want to win now and I think if we add right in the summer we can compete for serious trophies next season. I don’t think we’re far off.

“If you sign the right players in the right positions and the right characters and profiles, I think we have more than enough quality to compete and be more consistent than we’ve shown over this season.

“We spoke to the owners and they’re sure of the players that are gonna do it. Reece [James] won’t sign a six-year contract if he’s not spoken to the owners and the directors. Me and Reece spoke a lot. About things we need, players we need to sign and how things need to be. He wouldn’t sign a new contract if he didn’t know what was going on.”