Next Chelsea Manager: Calum McFarlane's odds slashed after FA Cup semi-final win

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After Chelsea's win at the weekend, Calum McFarlane's chances of becoming the new permanent boss at Stamford Bridge shortened in the odds market. Chelsea booked their place in the FA Cup final to face Manchester City next month after narrowly beating Leeds United with Enzo Fernandez's header the difference at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

It will be another domestic final for the club during Todd Boehly's tenure as co-owner at the club but the first in the FA Cup having only reached the semi-finals in 2024 before losing to Manchester City. Their last final appearance came in the EFL Cup in 2024 again where Gary Neville infamously called them the "blue billion-pound bottle jobs".

Securing the FA Cup final spots means McFarlane is now 10/1 with William Hill to become the new permanent manager at Stamford Bridge which has seen his price almost half after beating Leeds on Sunday. There is still a lot to be done before he can convince the board he is a solid contender and reports do suggest he is not on the board's shortlist either.

William Hill spokesperson Lee Phelps said: “Following Chelsea’s FA Cup semi-final success over Leeds, interim boss Calum McFarlane has been cut from 16/1 to 10/1 step into the permanent role. He now follows six names in the betting, including ex-Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, who has entered the market at 8/1 following reports linking him to the role.

“Andoni Iraola still heads the betting at 7/4, from ex-players Cesc Fabregas (7/2) and Filipe Luis (4/1). Conte is next, whilst Oliver Glasner and Frank Lampard are 9/1.”

Currently, it is still outgoing Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola who remains the favourite to succeed Liam Rosenior on a permanent basis. It will mean some persuading on Chelsea's part as Iraola has long been linked to join Real Betis but current manager and former Man City boss Manuel Pellegrini is under contract until summer 2027.

Other potential suitors include former Blues midfielder Cesc Fabregas who has received plenty of plaudits for his record at Como with the Italian side sitting just three points behind Juventus with four games left with the side seeking European football next season. Fabregas has been touted as one of the favourites on Chelsea's shortlist too and his achievements at the club would immediately command the respect needed

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Here is what betting expert Tom Phillips thinks of the speculation:

In short. No, he is not. For starters, McFarlane does not have the coaching badges required to coach in a permanent job in the Premier League. Despite McFarlane previously dismissing the lack of a UEFA Pro Licence - which is required to have a permanent gig in the Premier League - it is still not enough for him to be allowed to coach at the highest level.

This purely a short-term solution while the Chelsea board will be tasked with finding the right coach to lead the team to the glory days their fans have been used to for so long. There are many names linked with the job and some including Iraola make perfect sense with the model they are building there but they also need to balance it with a winning mentality with a coach that has a proven track record. It still amazes how Chelsea are not throwing everything into bringing in a coach like Luis Enrique for instance.

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