Overview
- Chelsea, who sacked Liam Rosenior on Wednesday after a 3-0 loss at Brighton capped five straight league defeats without a goal, put Calum McFarlane in charge for the rest of the season.
- Betting markets moved quickly, with William Hill installing outgoing Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola as the early favourite to take the Stamford Bridge job.
- Reports link several contenders to the vacancy, including Filipe Luis, Cesc Fàbregas, Marco Silva and Oliver Glasner, while journalist Ben Jacobs says Chelsea have not yet held formal talks.
- Gary Neville criticised the BlueCo ownership and sporting leadership after the sacking and pundits highlighted a sour dressing-room mood, with players’ public praise of former coach Enzo Maresca cited as destabilising.
- The slump has hit Chelsea’s targets, with the club seven points off fifth place in the league and an FA Cup semi-final against Leeds next up under McFarlane.